Forget chicken sandwich wars and chicken tender battles: Taco Bell wants diners to think differently about “Big Chicken” altogether. The QSR in March launched its Cantina Chicken menu nationwide, leaning on premium ingredients as it looks to elevate the protein staple.

To further those efforts and plant its flag in the chicken category, the chain launched “Bridging the Chicken Divide,” a campaign that takes a humorous look at family debates around the dining room table and pits Cantina menu fans against “trachickenalists” — the “chicken traditionalists” that ads say are found in every family.

In a 30-second spot, younger family members dig into Taco Bell’s new chicken offerings while older family members eat familiar, fast-food chicken sandwiches. Heated debate over condiment usage reaches a fever pitch before common ground proves to be “one bite away.”

“I can feel again,” says the dad, before uttering a guttural chirp. The campaign premiered on Sept. 26 and is running across broadcast, connected TV and social media.

“We need to make sure that people think of us as a chicken destination, because when you think of chicken, you think of KFC, Chick-fil-A, Popeyes. You don’t think of Taco Bell,” said Caroline Johnson, associate creative director at the chain’s longtime creative agency, Deutsch. “The brief was disrupting chicken.”

Generational divide

To promote the Cantina Chicken menu, Taco Bell and Deutsch wanted to do more than produce product-focused spots. The family table construct allowed the brand to make the “argument” in a more persuasive, relatable way.

“The family divide is just something that everyone has,” Johnson said. “Everyone has that person in their family who’s like, ‘Let me tell you how things were and how they should always be.’”

In “Bridging the Chicken Divide,” these arguments take place as debates over mayo versus avocado verde salsa or the inclusion of pickles. The humor gets a touch of innuendo when one older person says, “Please tell me you’re using a condiment.” But the agency team was wary of random humor for its own sake.

“This always happens with a comedy spot: You shoot so much stuff, and whatever’s making you laugh on set is usually what ends up in the spot,” Johnson said. “We tried the condom joke, we tried some other stuff that was maybe too far, but you go too far to see where the line is.”

That humor reoccurs in a 30-second spot, “Holiday, Divided,” released on Oct. 31. The new ad gives the family table argument a festive spin, with one parent chastising, “A burrito on what could be Gam Gam’s last holiday?” Finding the right comedic edge allows Taco Bell to speak authentically with its target consumers in the Gen Z cohort. 

“They’re all about the being themselves and having open and authentic conversations, and I think Taco Bell uses that same perspective within how we like to phrase our messaging,” said Derek Smith, creative director at Deutsch.

A focus on Gen Z also influenced the casting of Xolo Maridueña (“Cobra Kai,” “Blue Beetle”) as the external commentator in the spot. Taco Bell in recent years has teamed with younger brand ambassadors like actor-comedian Pete Davidson and singer-songwriter Omar Apollo to make its case directly to younger consumers. 

“We’re a legacy, establishment brand. There’s a certain level of authenticity that I think we can hit and that we cannot hit,” Johnson explained. “Bringing in someone who was a little more up-and-coming, who felt a little fresher and more authentic to the demographic as the voice of reason, rather than this big corporation talking to you, helped smooth the message.”