Fast food franchise Taco Bell is using augmented reality within its mobile application to promote the company?s new Doritos Locos Tacos and elevate the user experience through technology.

The company partnered with Frito-Lay to reinvent its mobile popular menu item fifty years after introducing it. Taco Bell added a mobile component to engage users on another level.

?Our consumers are constantly connected through their mobile devices and we want to engage with them in a way that is relevant and convenient for them,? said Tressie Lieberman, director of digital marketing for Taco Bell.

?Forty-seven percent of millennials are engaging with social media while they?re eating,? she said. ?The Buzz Finder feature in the Taco Bell mobile app gives them an outlet to do so directly with our brand, sharing their experience and seeing it in the bright lights of a digital billboard in New York City or Los Angeles.?

Augmented reality
Through the app's Buzz Finder, which features augmented reality, consumers will be able to connect with the brand.

Consumers can hold their mobile device to Taco Bell's soda cups or the Doritos Locos Tacos box and the augmented reality will appear.

The augmented reality will be promoted through Taco Bell?s Web site, its mobile app and it will be located on medium and large cups, as well as through the Doritos Locos Tacos Big Box Meal. 

Additionally, from March 12 through May 6, several tweets featuring the hashtag #DoritosLocosTacos will be shown on digital billboards in New York City?s Times Square and on Los Angeles? Sunset Boulevard.

?We heard from consumers in test marketing that Doritos Locos Tacos is a mind-blowing experience and augmented reality allows us to elevate this experience through technology,? Ms. Lieberman said. ?Consumers can read other tweets as well as share their own.

?Being a leader in the mobile space is important to us because this allows us to engage with our consumers in a way that is relevant,? she said. ?Our new tagline, Live Más, is all about an explorer mindset and inspiring people to try new things.

?With the mobile app, we can provide easy access to our brand and share exclusive content via QR codes.?

Mobile bar codes
In addition to using augmented reality, Taco Bell is also using QR codes to engage users.

Music will play a key role in the launch of Doritos Locos Tacos beyond being featured in the television advertisements, per Taco Bell.

The company is integrating its brand and Doritos Locos Tacos at the Feed the Beat Concert Series.

Those not attending can still view performances by scanning QR codes featured on the Doritos Locos Tacos holsters, which lead users to exclusive video content showcasing performances from the Hype Hotel.

A new performance will be featured each week.

Taco Bell is also running a television campaign to promote its Doritos Locos tacos, which was created by Draftfcb Orange County.

?Moving way beyond traditional approaches, the integrated effort leaned heavily into leveraging Twitter, Taco Bell's Facebook presence and even augmented reality,? said Teddy Brown, executive creative director at Draftfcb Orange County.

?Being a brand that's just as concerned about delivering great food as much as they are a great consumer experience, the augmented reality feature allows customers to stream and share live messages about the Doritos Locos Taco in a way that's never been done before,? he said.

Final Take
Rimma Kats is staff reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York