Thursday, October 18, 2012

Could Taco Bell be successful in Asia?

This week's class was all about case studies. We looked at several companies and how they are getting along in the Social media world. Me and my team mates took a closer look at Taco Bell, the American Tex-Mex Fast food chain. What really caught my attention was the fact, that is hard for Taco Bell to be embraced by some cultures especially in Asia and Europe.

It is true, that Tex-Mex food is probably rather special because of its spices and not as easy to get used to as other types of Amercian Fast food like burgers or fries.

So I did some research and found out that especially East Asia seems to be a difficult market for Taco Bell. While there are 5 countries with Taco Bell restaurants in Europe, there are only 3 Asian countries with Taco Bells. South Korea is the only East Asian country with Taco Bell stores. There used to be a few restaurants in China, but Taco Bell pulled out of China in 2008. They also had to pull out of Singapore, as they were not successful. Other Asian countries that have a few Taco Bells are India and the Philippines.
You'd think Asians wouldn't be put off by the spicy tacos and burritos, as they are used to food that is way spicier. But somehow Asians seem to be afraid of Taco Bell.

What should Taco Bell do?

So the first and most important step would be to let the people loose their fear of Taco Bell food and address their curiosity.
Setting up a Social media campaign explaining their food and getting people curious to try it seems like a good idea. They could use videos or a photo contest to get people engaged and get them to share their experiences with the Taco Bell food. Because personal recommendations are always the best advertising you can get!
A cool thing would also be, to get the Taco Bell Truck to go to Asia and hand out some free tacos. That would definitely get people's attention! And maybe Asia's curiosity would finally win over its fear and reluctance.

3 comments:

  1. Taco Bell is more popular in America than in China. Obviously, it is a new concept for people in China. In China, undergraduate is a group of people who like try new things. So,Taco Bell can cooperate with student clubs firstly. Then, more and more people will know it.

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