My brother @AndrewLee is a genius. This weekend, at our weekly tradition of taking our girls swimming at the local pool, I shared with him that I would eat @TacoBell every day if I could. He feigned surprise (because really, how could anyone be surprised that Taco Bell is da bomb). And then said, “You know about the Taco Lover’s Pass*, right?”
“Yes, of course, of course, I know about the Pass. What is it again, remind me…?”
As any dutiful younger and much smarter brother does, he barely rolled his eyes and proceeded to explain.
You pay $10 and get your choice of one of seven tacos, every day, for 30 days.
WHAT?! <cue the Rewind noise they play in movies when something dramatic happens>
He asked me if I wanted to get one, and I rolled my eyes back at him.
No no, that would be egregious, tacos every day for 30 days. What’re you nuts?!
But I won’t lie. I did some quick math on how many tacos I would need to eat to make this Pass worth it. Then, fast forward <cue that same fast forward movie sound> to tonight, when we had this exchange.
At precisely 11:11PM PST, my craving started speaking to me. So of course I text him back. Then he proceeds to send me his username and password.
The answer is yes. Obviously, I can order online, swing by and breeze through the drive through to pick up my order. I’m ecstatic, to say the least. And not only that, but I can customize the heck out of my order (for an upcharge, of course). I specified that I wanted two Fire and two Diablo hot sauces.
I knew it was going to be this good. Which is why when I downloaded the Taco Bell app, and opened it for the first time, the app asked me if I wanted to share my location and allow it to send me notifications. I selected yes for both, even though I never do that. Because I wanted to experience the whole meal deal. What could they customize for me if they knew all of my personal information and location? And also, how low risk is it that Taco Bell knows exactly when I crave Taco Bell (all the time), where I crave it (everywhere), and who I’m with when I crave it (anyone, everyone).
As soon as I saw the screen above, I hopped immediately into my car (Taco Bell waits for no one!), knowing they would start my order once I pulled up to the drive through line. When I got into my car, since I don’t frequent our local Taco Bell, I went back to the app, and it gave me directions for how to get to the Taco Bell that I had selected. What amazing (and basic, intuitive) app integration! (Important side note for any of my friends still working in global health — this is how you don’t lose mothers from pre-natal care to their vaccination…Integration…do not make them walk across the hallway of the health facility unaccompanied).
This whole exercise was a test.
· How does the Taco Lover’s Pass work, and is it worth it? Yes, and well.
· What would the experience be like to drive right up and pick up a pre-order? Great, and smooth.
· Would they get my order right? Yes, even the four hot sauces (two of each kind) I specified.
· How would I feel eating it? No surprise, incredible.
A few takeaways from this:
1. Apps are the way of the future (duh). Companies need to know us, to serve us. The more you share, the more customized your experience will be for you. Also, obviously, the greater privacy concerns will abound.
2. If you work for a brand, any brand — in Innovation, Product, Digital, or Membership — there are SO.MANY.LESSONS. to learn from Taco Bell. Download the app and start taking notes. Go into their stores and start taking notes. Check out their product and take more notes. See if their food scientist will talk with you, and take copious amounts of notes.
3. Pay attention, innovation and inspiration surrounds each of us, in so many facets, every single day.
And in case you were wondering, my order is always the #doritoslocotaco. Yo Quiero Taco Bell!
