After I've seen many memes and videos about Taco Bell’s limited time chicken wings, it got me interested in learning what Taco Bell was thinking. When I think of Taco Bell I hardly ever think of chicken, especially not chicken wings, so reading this article by CNN Business informed me on why Taco Bell added this item. The reason they did so makes sense from a marketing standpoint, it’s something entirely different from what they're known for and that’s what made it so popular in a short amount of time. Some takeaways from this is that it is most likely going to be a seasonal limited time item, much like McDonald’s McRib, depending on how successful it is. Another is that it’s sort of expensive for wings at $5.99 for 5 bone-in wings, which means for someone who goes to Taco Bell regularly and sees this new item, they may not be inclined to buy it, if it were cheaper then maybe they would. Finally, by having this promotion only last a week, it has built hype for it, whether good or bad depends on how you feel about chicken wings from Taco Bell.
For most people the value proposition of Taco Bell is either cheap and fast tacos, late night munchies, or even Mtn Dew’s Baja Blast. Which is why seeing chicken wings on their menu is so strange and enticing. These new chicken wings are an unfamiliar time in a very familiar strategy, that being limited time unique items. They surprisingly launched this item for only a week, which was done to create hype and drive in new and existing customers to try out something different. Alexander Chernev, a professor of marketing said that, “When you have these exclusive products, which exist for a short period of time, it gives people a reason to come to the store.” And this is entirely true, especially when you look at other fast food chains, such as McDonald’s and their McRib.
I believe that Taco Bell is doing this as a way to garner more chicken onto their menu, they have some chicken items but it might not be enough. By introducing this limited item they could be testing out whether or not they should add more chicken to their menu. Competition that you wouldn’t even think about is coming out of nowhere, when Wingstop retweeted Taco Bell and called them out for their new wings. The most unique thing about this is that it’s chicken wings, from a taco place. It’s something that you would have never thought would be there, and almost has no reason for being there. Like the article says, when there is something new, it brings customers back, however I don’t see this as appealing to any certain customer base. For those that enjoy tacos, having wings every once in a while is perfectly fine, but wing lovers already have their favorite wing places, whether it’s Buffalo Wild Wings, or Wingstop.
This new item was not a great choice by any standards, while yes it’s a purple cow that draws in customers, many of those customers have given these wings bad reviews, primarily saying that they are sodium rich and sometimes even undercooked. Their marketing approach was alright, they began announcing this promotion earlier in the month and created hype for it, but it failed in some areas. If I was the product manager, I never would have added wings, if anything I would have brought back fan favorites like their Verde sauce, Mexican pizzas, or their Pico de Gallo.
This article and promotion did help me learn about what not to do as a business, that is introducing something that has virtually nothing to do with your business’ message or other products. It’s Taco Bell, it doesn’t need wings.
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