Taco Bell teams with musician Omar Apollo for hot sauce collaboration

Dive Brief:

Yum Brands chain Taco Bell will introduce a new sauce packet, Disha Hot sauce, that is inspired by musician Omar Apollo's family recipe, per a press release. The sauce will be available for Taco Bell Rewards Members on Sept. 24 and more widely on Sept. 26.
The sauce packet is featured in a Disha Hot Discovery Box and can be purchased a la carte. To mark the partnership, Apollo and Taco Bell will release a limited-edition liquid-infused vinyl of his latest album, "God Said No."
The first-of-its-kind sauce packet partnership demonstrates how Taco Bell continues to authentically activate around pop culture, particularly music, to forge deeper connections with younger consumers.

Dive Insight:

Taco Bell's latest effort makes in-roads into pop music via a collaboration with Apollo, an emerging pop singer-songwriter who was nominated for Best New Artist at last year's Grammy Awards and has toured in support of superstars Billie Eilish and SZA.

The partnership revolves around Disha Hot sauce, as prepared from a recipe by Apollo's mother. Disha Hot sauce was the house sauce at a restaurant that Apollo's parents opened after emigrating from Guadalajara, Mexico, to the United States. The restaurant shut down after Apollo was born, and the artist expressed a desire to bring the sauce to a larger audience since participating in Taco Bell's Feed the Beat program.

“When Omar shared the story of his family's Disha Hot sauce and its unique, personal flavors, we knew this was the kind of meaningful partnership our fans would love,” said CMO Taylor Montgomery in a press release. “At Taco Bell, we consistently look to push the boundaries of menu innovation, and this partnership is an epic first, breaking the mold on traditional celebrity meals.”

In that way, the Disha Hot Discovery Box is an elevated version of celebrity-curated orders that have become a marketing staple of Taco Bell competitors like Chipotle and McDonald's. The box features three Disha Hot Hot Sauce Packets, a Cheesy Gordita Crunch, a Doritos Locos Taco, a Crunchy Taco, chips and nacho cheese sauce and a medium fountain drink all for $8.99 — an offering in line with industry-wide plays around value.

To boost engagement around the collaboration, Taco Bell will release a special-edition vinyl of Apollo's latest album that is infused with radiant orange liquid inspired by the Disha Hot Sauce Packets branding. The record will be available as part of a kit available for 500 rewards members as part of a Tuesday drop on Sept. 24 at 2 p.m. PST. Vinyl variants have become a key part of music sales and fandom as collectors look to acquire different colored records.

Apollo's participation in Feed the Beat demonstrates how the program, which supports up-and-coming musicians, has become a gateway for Taco Bell's larger marketing efforts. The chain recently expanded the program to the U.K. as part of its international growth plans.

Taco Bell recently saw same-store quarterly sales increase 5%, in part because its known for value. The growth contrasts with same-store sales declines at Yum Brands’ KFC and Pizza Hut.

The addition of another sauce to Taco Bell's popular line of hot sauce packets comes as spicy offerings heat up the larger restaurant and food market. Restaurant Brands International chain Firehouse Subs today (Sept. 23) brought back its hot sauce bar, citing an online survey that found 85% of Americans use hot sauce in their meals.