Dive Brief:

• Ahead of National Taco Day on Oct. 4, Taco Bell will kick things off early on Sept. 25 with an animated video on Facebook that echoes classic winter holiday movies, according to a press release by the company.
• The quick-service restaurant will also host a few fans on the holiday for a five-course dinner via OpenTable in its test kitchen, as well as sell a wrapped gift set of four tacos.
• The goal behind the seasonal effort is to make the brand stand out amongst all the winter holiday traditions and festivities, according to the release.

Dive Insight:

Nearly every day consumers are hit with some sort of faux holiday — National Chocolate Day on Oct. 28, National Margarita Day on Feb. 22 and National Middle Child Day on Aug. 12, for example. Brands often tie promotions to these days, such as Jose Cuervo retrofitting some Los Angeles water fountains with tequila for National Tequila Day in July.

Taco Bell, in this case, is attaching itself to a similar celebration in October in a push to promote its products and remain top-of-mind among consumers. And, it's adding another level to that approach by expanding it to an entire season, complete with an original video short. The brand is also betting that a one-night-only dinner at its test kitchen could lure Taco Bell fans and gain earned media as consumers snap and share photos of the experience via hashtags on social media.

Earlier this year, Taco Bell opened its test kitchen for reservations on Cinco de Mayo, a move that signaled the brand is betting diehard fans' fear of missing out can drive excitement and generate buzz around these events. The fact that Taco Bell is now repeating the strategy suggests initial results from the strategy are promising.  

Food-related brands trying to reach Instagram's large audience with food that can be photographed and shared has worked in the past, notably Starbucks' Unicorn Frappuccino.