The buzz quickly filtered over to a Taco Bell restaurant on Blackstone and McKinley in Central Fresno.
The success of the Doritos Locos Taco may depend on young students. Amber Brown of Fresno said, "It was bomb. It was delicious. It was cheesy with the sour cream, tomatoes. It was good"
Fresno State marketing professor Bill Rice was impressed with the campaign. Rice said, "Out of the blocks I said they have a home run here."
Rice has used the campaign to teach students about transferring identifiable brands and targeting specific groups. "One, how does the Hispanic market like it? Two, how does that 20-35 young male who has athletic aspirations. How do they transfer that to Taco Bell?"
Fresno has long served as a test market for many products. Fresno Chamber of Commerce CEO Al Smith said, "I think a lot of the advertisers look at this part of the world as sort of replicating middle America. If it will fly here it will fly anywhere."
But some ads misidentify Highway 99 as the "I-99."
Rice believed the mistake may actually work in Taco Bell's favor. Viewers immediately caught the error but still remembered the product.
The ads even caught the eye of late night comedians like Jimmy Kimmel who said on a recent show, "I was so inspired by this tonight I'm wearing a tie made out of Doritos."
We'll see if the buys match the buzz the spots have created. By testing the new product in the Valley, Taco Bell figures as Fresno goes, so will the rest of the country.
An ABC30 Action News viewer from Visalia reports the Doritos Taco is available at Visalia Taco Bells as well.
