Dive Brief:
- Taco Bell on Tuesday unveiled The Cantinas, a two-day experience that is billed as an “early retirement community,” per details shared with Marketing Dive. The activation is scheduled for Aug. 17-18 in San Diego, California.
- Exclusively available to Taco Bell Rewards Members who are over 21, The Cantinas has weekend membership and day passes and promises activities common among senior retirees, including recreation, shopping and dining.
- With its latest activation, Taco Bell is looking to connect brand obsessives from a variety of age groups with an experience that recalls the chain’s groundbreaking pop-up hotel from 2019.
Dive Insight:
Taco Bell’s latest activation bolsters its reputation as a lifestyle brand by betting that superfans will decamp to San Diego to spend a weekend “Living Más” like retirees at The Cantinas. The name of the so-called early retirement community nods to both the chain’s booze-serving restaurant concepts and that of the infamous Florida retirement community The Villages.
“There’s a common misconception that retirement unlocks the life you’ve been waiting for. And while that may be true for some, we don’t think you should have to wait until 55 to live the life you’re craving," said Taylor Montgomery, U.S. chief marketing officer of Taco Bell, in a statement. “The Cantinas early retirement community, just like our brand, represents a place where all generations can come together, regardless of age, to Live their Más however they want.”
The Cantinas promises attendees “senior inspired, sun-soaked” activities, including shopping, dining and recreation like golf, aerobics and pickleball. Memberships are available exclusively to rewards members via a link in the chain’s app beginning July 16 at noon ET. Weekend memberships include overnight accommodations and cost $150 while day passes cost $50.
The experience calls back to The Bell, a restaurant-themed hotel and resort that the brand operated in 2019. Reservations sold out within 2 minutes of going live and the effort was one of the best campaigns of the year, even if the in-person experiential marketing tactics it relied on soon became obsolete during the height of the pandemic.
In the years since, Taco Bell has focused on remaining a lifestyle brand by running campaigns around nostalgia for the chain, collaborating with celebrities and fueling up-and-coming musical acts. Earlier this year, the chain got back into experiential activations with Live Más Live, a tech developer-style conference where it announced new products and partnerships. Taco Bell has also been expanding its emphasis on value menu items. The Yum Brands chain reported same-store sales grew 2% in Q1.
