How T-Mobile's Super Bowl ad ended up helping Taco Bell break its one-day sales record
- T-Mobile debuted four ads on Super Bowl Sunday earlier this month. But another brand - Taco Bell - ended up reaping some of the benefits.
- That's because T-Mobile touted a partnership with Taco Bell in one of the ads as a part of its loyalty program, "T-Mobile Tuesdays."
- The partnership broke all of Taco Bell's one-day sales records on the Tuesday following Super Bowl Sunday, T-Mobile's Nicholas Drake said.
T-Mobile debuted four ads on Super Bowl Sunday earlier this month. But Taco Bell also reaped some of the benefits.
That's because T-Mobile used one of its four quirky text meme-themed spots to tout a new partnership with Taco Bell as a part of its customer loyalty program, "T-Mobile Tuesdays."
T-Mobile Tuesdays is a consumer loyalty program that offers customers a freebie every Tuesday if they download the app and click a button, said Nicholas Drake, EVP of marketing and experience.
In the ad, an texter agonizes about "Kristi" wanting to get sushi when he wanted tacos, ultimately replying with the words "Whatever you want bae." It ends by revealing that T-Mobile customers can get free Taco Bell tacos every Tuesday.
The partnership broke Taco Bell's one-day sales record on the Tuesday following Super Bowl Sunday, said Drake, speaking at the Association of National Advertisers' Brand Masters Conference. Drake didn't share any specifics.
"We love Taco Bell, but turns out our consumers love Taco Bell too," he said.
Drake said the British band Fine Young Cannibals, whose soundtrack was featured in the ad, also benefited, with its downloads increasing 2,235% after the Super Bowl.
The 2019 Super Bowl campaign marked another first for T-Mobile, with the brand using it as a stage to launch its long-term campaign, "Are You With Us?" rather than a one-off spot, said Drake. Not everyone liked the ads, however, with some viewers calling the ads "sexist."
Read More: T-Mobile is facing backlash for 'sexist' Super Bowl ads
"Traditionally Super Bowls aren't used to launch a long-term campaign," he said. "But we thought, 'Why not go another way...and send a message through the vehicle that everybody communicates with today?'"