TACO BELL® JOINS FORCES WITH DOJA CAT TO REDEFINE LIVE MÁS, DEBUT NEW MUSIC

IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Since getting into the QSR game 60 years ago, Taco Bell has been in a relentless pursuit to Live Más. From founder Glen Bell bringing tacos to a burger world in 1962, to our first-ever taco subscription service which launched earlier this year, the brand always does things differently. Now, Taco Bell is ushering in a new era in a return to the Big Game with an unexpected campaign that aims to surprise and delight fans both on and off the field.

The milestone brand moment will throw out the typical playbook of celebrity endorsements by instead bringing one of Taco Bell's most vocal customers-slash-critics to the table: Doja Cat. The two have teamed up to give fans a bold new taste of what it means to Live Más with a high-energy ad spot and the promise of a few overtime saucy surprises. For one, Doja Cat is debuting an exclusive cover of the beloved pop-rock anthem "Celebrity Skin" by Hole in the commercial, titled "The Grande Escape." The song features lyrics reworked in partnership with Courtney Love.

But Taco Bell is cooking up more than a FIRE! musical collaboration for the Big Game and will be dropping a major hint for its Rewards Members exclusively inside the Taco Bell app on game day. To avoid missing out, fans would need to sign up for Taco Bell Rewards by February 13 at 11:59PM PST*.

"Live Más means celebrating that little bit of different that lives in all of us, which is exactly what Doja Cat represents," said Tracee Larocca, Taco Bell's Head of Brand Creative. "For a milestone moment like the Big Game, we've thrown out the category playbook and instead gave Doja Cat the reins to be the voice of our fans, which will extend far beyond game time." 

"It's no secret I'm a major Taco Bell fan which has made my role with this campaign all the more fun," said Doja Cat. "I've enjoyed every moment of this campaign, especially the ones where we get to break all the rules, and look forward to continuing collaborating with the brand."

Set to air during the fourth quarter, "The Grande Escape'' serves as an epic story of liberation from conformity and shows Doja Cat alongside others who escape from a clown college in pursuit of discovering Live Más for themselves. The spot is a depiction of the exhilaration and comfort that comes from honoring and celebrating being different. Known for her award-winning music, authentic and energetic persona and captivating social media presence, Doja Cat is the personification of a generation that praises authenticity, making her the perfect fit for the campaign.

"The Grande Escape'' ad is just the latest in Taco Bell's long line of groundbreaking initiatives it has taken in the musicsphere, partnering with some of the world's biggest artists, while also helping to feed emerging artists through their Feed The Beat music program. A song of strength and individuality, this new version of "Celebrity Skin," celebrates all of our differences and what makes each of us unique in our own way, while reminding us all to Live Más!

Taco Bell's big game ad spot was produced in partnership with Deutsch LA and the fully integrated campaign includes work from Edelman and Spark Foundry. The last time Taco Bell advertised on this stage was during the 2016 game, with a campaign that introduced the fan-favorite Quesalupa to Taco Bell menus nationwide for the first time.

About Taco Bell Corp.
For more information about Taco Bell, visit our website at www.TacoBell.com/news or at www.TacoBell.com/popular-links. You can also stay up to date on all things Taco Bell by following us on Facebook, Instagram, Taco Bell's Twitter, Taco Bell News' Twitter, TikTok and subscribing to our YouTube channel. For updates on how Taco Bell is navigating COVID-19, click here.

About Doja Cat
11-time GRAMMY nominee Doja Cat made her first upload to Soundcloud in 2013 at just 16-years-old. Having grown up in and around the LA area, she developed a knack for music by studying piano and dance as a kid and listening to the likes of Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, Nicki Minaj, Drake, and more. Soon, she went from obsessing over Catwoman (the Halle Berry version) to crate digging on YouTube. The budding talent taught herself Logic and how to compose on a midi controller. Signed to Kemosabe/RCA in 2014, she released her Purrr! EP and followed that with her debut album Amala in spring 2018, but it was her August 2018 release of "Mooo!" which catapulted her into the mainstream and was met with critical acclaim.

Doja Cat released her sophomore album Hot Pink in November 2019 to mass critical acclaim, the album was a platinum success with over 14.5 billion streams worldwide. Hot Pink features "Juicy" which hit #1 at Rhythm radio, "Say So" her GRAMMY nominated #1 smash record and "Streets", the viral sensation that soundtracked the 'Silhouette Challenge,' one of the biggest TikTok trends to date. The success of "Say So" which hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been RIAA certified 4x platinum and streamed over 6.7 billion times catapulted Doja into global superstardom. She has taken home the Best New Artist Award at  the MTV Video Music Awards, the MTV Europe Music Awards, the American Music Awards, the iHeart Radio Awards and the People's Choice Awards.

Doja's creativity and showmanship as a performer have been praised time and time again, she has delivered unique and show stopping performances on nearly all the major Award Show stages including the GRAMMY Awards, the AMAs, the Billboard Awards, the iHeart Radio Awards and the MTV VMAs and EMAs. Her last tour sold out in 10 minutes and she has played numerous festivals including Rap Caviar Live Miami, Posty Fest, Day n Vegas and Rolling Loud LA.

Doja Cat's GRAMMY nominated album Planet Her came out in June 2021 and dominated the charts, debuting at #1 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart and #2 on the Billboard Top 200 and Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, marking Doja Cat's career best and highest debut to date with 109K in total activity in the US alone. Spanning a range of genres Planet Her also generated the highest first day Spotify streams for an album by a female rapper, was the top Pop album upon release based on consumption according to MRC data, and marks both the biggest debut for female rapper and the top female R&B debut of 2021. GRAMMY nominated "Kiss Me More" ft. SZA, the lead single off Planet Her is certified platinum by the RIAA and hit #1 at Top 40 and Rhythm radio with over 2.8 billion streams worldwide. Doja Cat recently became the first rapper to have 3 songs in the Top 10 at Top 40 radio. Amongst others, Doja has received 5 AMAs, 3 MTV VMAs, 3 BMI Awards, 2 MTV EMAs, 1 Billboard Music Award and 1 NAACP Image Award along with countless nominations including 11 GRAMMY Awards.

*Available at participating US locations. App and Rewards Program terms and conditions apply https://www.tacobell.com/legal-notices/terms-of-use

CONTACT:

Matt Prince – Taco Bell Corp.
[email protected]
(949) 863-4367

Ronald Quintero – Edelman
[email protected] 
(323) 961-0962

SOURCE Taco Bell Corp.