The Meal Deal Tacover - Overview

Tesco dominates lunch with its iconic meal deal, bought by 87% of Brits every week.

That's why we teamed up with lunchtime challenger brand Taco Bell for the first time to challenge the status quo of the traditional meal deal with the brand’s latest campaign, 'The Meal Deal Tacover'. The campaign urges UK shoppers to break out of their habitual same-old lunch routine and ask themselves if a sandwich, crisps, and a drink can truly be considered a ‘meal’.

The Research

The campaign follows exclusive research from Publicis London that reveals the sad state of affairs of British lunchtime:

• 58% of those surveyed consider a pre-prepared sandwich and a bag of crisps to be a complete meal. 
• Although more than three-quarters (77%) of respondents have bought a supermarket meal deal in their lifetime, only 18% feel very satisfied after eating it. 
• Only 28% of UK adults said they rarely or never eat the same meal for a weekday lunch. 

'No one ever said slap-up sandwich'

The Meal Deal Tacover, which includes a Google Maps hijack and spans OOH, social, and digital, pokes fun at ‘big sandwich’ to get people across the country to question their lunch choice. The creative includes lines such as "No one ever said slap-up sandwich”, “A sandwich is a slice of ham away from being just bread”, and "Nothing against tuna mayo, but it’s not a meal". Each execution concludes with; "And if it’s not a meal, it’s not a meal deal". The campaign urges the UK to 'Get the Cravings Lunch Deal' - featuring any Cravings Burrito, including the new limited time only Beefy Fries Burrito, plus fries and a drink - for £3.99, as the ultimate and 'real lunch deal.'

Londoners searching for supermarkets around Russell Square, Camden, Southampton Row and Baker Street will find Taco Bell’s campaign infiltrating Google Maps. User-generated images were added to the Google Maps platform showing the campaign artwork as well as images of individuals wearing the ‘Anti-Sandwich Bored’ signage. Additionally, the 'Anti-Sandwich Bored' traversed the streets of London, recommending Taco Bell as the “real lunch deal” for those fed up with boring sandwiches.

The Results

The campaign drove brand scores to their highest in four years with over 300,000 extra lunchtime transactions.

We didn’t just promote a meal deal. We put lunch at Taco Bell on the map.

The campaign cut through. Google Maps ads were viewed nearly 10 million times. Brand buzz more than doubled (+112%), and brand impression jumped 2700%. Value and satisfaction scores hit their highest levels in over a year. Consideration rose 90%, and purchase intent soared 325%.

Most importantly, it drove real business impact as lunchtime transactions doubled with an extra 300,000+.