Taco Bell Bends Time in Latest Fake Movie Trailer for Nacho Fries

Imagine a wondrous world where Taco Bell serves Nacho Fries every blessed day of the year. If that sounds like an ad campaign, well, of course it is!

In January, Deutsch LA asked fans on Twitter to submit ideas for a faux movie trailer promoting the limited-time return of Taco Bell’s uber-popular menu item. Past efforts in the ad series include last year’s “Fry Force” takeoff on anime; parodies of street-racing and scary flicks (both from 2020); and Darren Criss’s 2019 goof on A Star Is Born, featuring an appropriately gooey love ballad.

Now, for “Fry Again,” Deutsch runs with various fan suggestions, including a sci-fi time-loop, à la Groundhog Day, to frame the story. Reliving the same 24 hours works great for our heroine, who lunches on Nacho Fries over and over and over … until the narrative suddenly veers into Terminator/Mad Max/Thelma & Louise/Matrix territory:

Loopy stuff from director Sean Baker, packed with gaudy visuals and broad Sturm und Drang in the Hollywood blockbuster tradition.

“We’ve explored tons of genres for Nacho Fries over the years, but this may be my favorite yet, because it gave our most loyal fans a front-row seat,” says Taco Bell SVP of global brand creative Tracee Larocca.

“This campaign is a great example of how a simple shift in the power dynamics between fans and brands can generate unparalleled results,” adds Deutsch LA creative director Lincoln Lopes. “This idea was born from the belief that brands, no matter how big they are, should be nimble enough to ride culture at its same speed.”

“My favorite part in this fully integrated campaign was the War Room we set up to monitor the thread and brainstorm ideas,” recalls Felipe Machado, also an agency CD. “It took us 48 hours to select and approve the best ones to become a part of the new film. The whole Twitter thread interaction felt like a writer’s room, and it was truly fascinating to see our script coming to life in real time.”

Here’s a “fan cut” featuring the Tweets that informed the scenario:

Hey, that approach feels awfully … familiar. I’ve got a strange feeling I’ve experienced the same effect before. OMG! Are we trapped in an infinite loop, reliving the same commercial over and over and … ?

Wait, no. “Fry Again” just reminds me of this recent ad from Old Navy, where TikTokkers helped write the script, and their comments pop up on screen. Phew!

Client Credits
Chief Brand Officer: Sean Tresvant
Global Brand Creative Director: Tracee Larocca
Sr. Director, Advertising: Ashley Prollamante
Sr. Manager, Advertising: Amanda Barbosa
Sr. Associate Manager, Advertising: Kristen Powell
Associate Manager, Advertising: Eddy Perezic
Associate Manager, Social Media: Madia Aymerich
Social Media Coordinator: Milo Simpson
Food Consultant: Carolyn Avelino

Agency Credits
Deutsch LA
Creative
Executive Creative Director: Bea Danger
Creative Director: Lincoln Lopes
Creative Director: Felipe Machado
Art Director: Heather Patterson
Copywriter: Bo Belanger

Twitter Users
Brittanee Gorman
CarlosGamez
Elizabeth Nelson
Nicole    Price
Jessica Jacobs
Jonathan Yates
Beth Bendl
William    Bradford
Ryan Rezvani
Shaina Rochelle    
Rosario Fong

Account
Group Account Director: Matt Matzen
Account Director: Kelly Childers
Account Supervisor: Natalie Brock
Account Executive: Cindy Lima
Assistant Account Executive: Daniela Chang

Production 
Executive Integrated Producer: Paul Roy
Senior Integrated Producer: Steven Frailey
Integrated Producer: Brittney Hahn
Music Director: Chip Herter
Music Coordinator: Will Eichler

Strategy
Group Strategy Director: Kelsey Karson
Social Strategy Director: Jori Evans
Strategist: Jen Rose
Junior Strategist: Cat Killedjian

Business Affairs
Director of Business Affairs: Gabriela Farias
Executive Business Affairs Manager: Joanna Lee
Business Affairs Manager: Daniel Gerena 

Traffic
Director of Broadcast Traffic: Carie Bonillo
Senior Broadcast Traffic Manager: Courtney Tylka
Broadcast Traffic Manager: Ana Barraza

Production
Superprime 
Director: Sean Baker 
Executive Producer: Charlotte Woodhead
EP / Head of Production: Casey Wooden
EP / Line Producer: Michaela Johnson 

Juice Film
Executive Producer: Martin Jacobson 
Executive Producer: Carmen Amos
Line Producer: Tina Caldeira

Editorial
Cabin Editorial
Editor: Conor O’Neill
Assistant Editor: Noah Phillips-Edwards
Producer: Gabrielle Page
Managing Director: Suyse Melega

Finishing / VFX
ALT VFX 
VFX Production Manager: Jayce Attewell
2D Supervisor: Matt Chance
Colourist: Ben Eagleton
Executive Producer: Chris Fieldhous
VFX Supervisor: Andrew Hellen
Online and MGFX Artist: Joshua Kell
Production Assistant: Carly Rosenberg
Compositor: Sam Sloan
Senior Compositor: Murray Smallwood
Head of Lighting: Jamie White
Flame Compositor: Scott Wilson 

Color Grade
Co3 Los Angeles
Colorist: Jill Bogdanowicz: Colorist 
Senior Producer, Short Form: Matt Moran
VP, Short Form: Ashley McKim 

Mix House
Lime Studios 
Engineer: Dave Wagg
Engineer: Jeff Malen
Assistant Mixer: Matthew Conzelmann
Assistant Mixer: Meg Ochs: Assistant Mixer
Sound Design: Michael Anastasi
Assistant Mixer: Collin Thomas
Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan
Representation: Recca Falborn