If you needed further evidence that the bacon craze has completely imploded, Taco Bell is making fun of the universal obsession with the stuff to pitch a new product … of which bacon is an integral part.
"Bacon you can't eat is bacon you don't need," says the tagline in a new campaign, from Deutsch LA, that hopes to reclaim the cured meat as an edible, not everything but.
The centerpiece 30-second TV and cinema spot, "Bacon Mall," imagines an almost Lynchian nightmare of a shopping center where all the products are bacon themed. A slew of 15-second social spots mock specific, ridiculous pork meat wares—charmingly efficient in their presentation.
One, for bacon cologne, comes across as a nice sendup of all fragrance ads. Another, for bacon headphones, reads as a subtle dig at Beats (popular for their look, but widely panned for their fidelity). A third, for Bacon One Hightops, plays on sneaker head culture.
Overall, it's a fun conceit, with a different, more subtle dystopian flavor compared to Taco Bell's insane portrayal of Ronald McDonald as an Stalinist dictator. (The totalitarian clown is also probably to blame for pulling the strings in a world where opportunists pervert bacon from its true purpose.)
But is the joke a bit late? Gender-neutral Bacon fragrance has been around since 2011. A bacon-themed racing chair doesn't seem significantly sillier than a regular racing chair. And there's surely a niche market for a bacon USB drive. (Taco Bell's looks better than the ones that seem to exist already.)
The truth is, you don't really need to make bacon into another random consumer product to broaden its applications. Oscar Mayer proved that any sane person will happily trade goods and services for actual bacon, one of the most valuable commodities on earth. And it's also an appropriate gift for any occasion. Just ask Ron Swanson.
CREDITS
Client: Taco Bell
—Spot: "Bacon Mall"
Air Date: Cinema: 7/3/15
Broadcast TV: 7/6/15
Digital: 7/6/15
Client Credits:
Chief Marketing Officer: Chris Brandt
Vice President, Brand Creative Director: Tracee Larocca
Director of Advertising: Aron North
Brand Experience: Alexandra Bunn
Food Consultant: Carolyn Avelino
Agency: Deutsch LA
Creative Credits:
Chief Creative Officer, North America: Pete Favat
Executive Creative Director: Brett Craig
Group Creative Directors: Guto Araki, Tom Pettus
Creative Directors: Andy Pearson, Ken Slater
Associate Creative Director: Jeremiah Wassom
Senior Copywriter: Chris Pouy
Director of Integrated Production: Vic Palumbo
Executive Integrated Producer: Paul Roy
Integrated Producer: Jamie Gartner
Assistant Integrated Producer: Evan Aronson
Music Director: Dave Rocco
Account Management Credits:
Group Account Director: Walter Smith
Account Director: Sandy Song
Account Supervisor: Monica Tobin
Account Executive: Sasha Rawji
Account Planning:
Chief Strategic Officer: Colin Drummond
Group Planning Director: Lindsey Allison
Senior Account Planner Kelly Mertesdorf
Business Affairs, Traffic:
Director of Integrated Business Affairs: Abilino Guillermo
Business Affairs Manager: Nestor Gandia
Director or Broadcast Traffic: Carie Bonillo
Senior Broadcast Traffic Manager: Sarah Freeark
Executives:
Chief Executive Officer, North America: Mike Sheldon
President, Los Angeles: Kim Getty
Live Action Production Company: Reset
Director: Vesa Manninen
Managing Director: Dave Morrison
Executive Producer: Jeff McDougall
Producer: Jennifer Ingalls
Line Producer: Ahnee Boyce
Editing Company: Therapy Studios
Editor: Doobie White
Assistant Editor: Amy Bostrom
Executive Producer: Joe DiSanto
Head of Production: Allegra Bartlett
Post Facility: MPC
Producer: Summer McCloskey
Senior Colorist: Mark Gethin
Visual Effects: Therapy Studios
Executive Producer: Joe DiSanto
Lead Flame Artist: Wren Waters
Licensed, Composed Music Credits:
Track: "Mad World"
Covered by: Halsey
Writer: Roland Orzabal
Audio Post Company: Therapy Studios
Executive Producer: Joe DiSanto
Mixer: Jeff Fuller
Sound Design: Eddie Kim
Shoot Location: Santiago, Chile
—Bacon Club Chalupa Social Videos
Watch :15
Controller :15
Yoga :15
Guitar :15
Headphones :15
Bacologne :15
USB :15
Gaming Chair :15
Sneakers :15
Purse :15
Air Date: 7/6/15
Client Credits:
Chief Marketing Officer: Chris Brandt
Vice President, Brand Creative Officer: Tracee Laroocca
Director of Advertising: Aron North
Associate Manager, Brand Experience: Alexandra Bunn
Agency: Deutsch LA
Creative Credits:
Chief Creative Officer, North America: Pete Favat
Director of Integrated Production: Vic Palumbo
Executive Creative Director: Brett Craig
Group Creative Directors: Tom Pettus, Guto Araki
Creative Directors: Andy Pearson, Ken Slater
Art Director: Cheston Kwan
Copywriter: Josh Hill
Executive Producer: Paul Roy
Producer: Damon Vinyard
Associate Producer: Josh Goldsmith
Account Management Credits:
Group Account Director: Walter Smith
Account Director: Sandy Song
Account Supervisor: Monica Tobin
Account Executive: Kaitlin Tabor
Account Planning:
Chief Strategy Officer: Colin Drummond
Group Planning Director: Lindsey Allison
Senior Account Planner: Kelly Mertesdorf
Senior Digital Strategist: Amelia Hall
Business Affairs, Traffic:
Director, Integrated Business Affairs: Abilino Guillermo
Business Affairs Manager: Nestor Gandia
Executives:
Chief Executive Officer, North America: Mike Sheldon
President, Los Angeles: Kim Getty
Live-Action Production: Brand New School, Santa Monica, Calif.
Director: Brumby Boylston
Executive Producer: Paul Abatemarco
Head of Production: Julie Shevach
Line Producer: Brian Armstrong
Editing Company: Brand New School
Editor: Marc D'Andre
Assistant Editor: Austin Lewis
Postproduction, Visual Effects: Brand New School, Santa Monica
Executive Producer: Paul Abatemarco
Senior Producer: Alex More
Senior Colorist: Loren White
Lead Flame Artist: Kevin MacDonald
Animators, Compositors: Adam Smith, Ben Bullock, Joseph Moon
Designers: Karen To, Yoon Lee
Licensed, Composed Music Credits:
Music for Headphones, Bacologne, USB, Gaming Chair, Sneakers: Elias Music Library
Executive Producer: Vicki Ordeshook
Head of Production: Katie Overcash
Executive Producer: Matt Locher, Asche & Spencer
Audio Post Company: Lime
Mixer: Matt Miller
Assistant Mixer: Mark Nieto
Shoot Location: Los Angeles