French Fries reign king in the fast food landscape, however, for Taco Bell, fries weren’t offered until January 2018 when the brand launched its unique take on fries – Nacho Fries.

By bringing Nacho Fries to nationwide menus for a limited time, Taco Bell put a stake in the ground against competitors and delighted fans and media nationwide – to the tune of 1,793 broadcast hits and articles and over three billion media impressions.

Nacho Fries became the most successful product launch in the company’s history and a huge business driver. Within the first five weeks, 53 million orders of Nacho Fries were sold, averaging inclusion in 1 in 3 orders. Their return to Taco Bell menus in July 2018 and the re-launch needed to be equally as buzzy and attention-grabbing to drive sales and media frenzy.

In sci-fi pop culture history, everyone knows Taco Bell wins the Franchise Wars. Becoming the only restaurant to exist by 2032, as portrayed by the 1993 cult-classic movie Demolition Man starring names like Stallone, Bullock and Snipes.

One question has always remained that was never addressed by the film: HOW did Taco Bell win the Franchise Wars?

It’s that question, the 25th anniversary of the movie, and the return of Taco Bell’s best-selling product in company history, that gave us a way to finally give fans the answer: Nacho Fries.

Partnering with Warner Brothers, Taco Bell recreated the fine dining and futuristic Taco Bell restaurant from the movie at the most iconic place for sci-fi lovers, Comic Con.

The complimentary four-course experience brought to life what the future of Taco Bell could be like, including robot servers, live music, real props from the movie and of course, Nacho Fries.

The strategy was to playfully riff on an iconic movie with an organic brand tie creating an immersive activation for both media and fans to drive excitement for the return of Nacho Fries.

Ahead of the launch, select media and influencers were given a teaser of the activation through a dynamic mailer (from the future) that included an invitation, video sizzle and props to fuel speculation and excitement for what was to come. Taco Bell also partnered with FandangoNOW to provide free streaming of Demolition Man for fans the month leading up to the activation.

Awareness through paid, earned and owned channels, including a national ad spot developed as a “prequal” to Demolition Man, featuring Josh Duhamel, followed the announcement. With it, came amazing social and news buzz, making the Taco Bell x Demolition Man Experience one of the most anticipated activations leading up to Comic-Con.

Two weeks prior to the activation, futuristic mailers were sent to media outlets and influencers to generate awareness and excitement of the upcoming experience.

During the dates of Comic-Con, July 19-21, 2018, Taco Bell took over an existing fine-dining restaurant in the heart of downtown San Diego, steps away from the Comic-Con Convention. The entire interior and exterior of the restaurant were transformed, leaving the original restaurant unrecognizable.

Every detail of Demolition Man’s Taco Bell was brought to life in this activation, with futuristic restaurant décor and logos, robotic waiters, themed cocktails, and movie memorabilia. The four-course meal featured Easter eggs from the movie, futuristic takes on Taco Bell classics and, of course, Nacho Fries.

Onsite exclusive Taco Bell x Demolition Man merchandise sold out in three days, totaling over $50,000. Even actor Wesley Snipes, star of Demolition Man made an appearance publicized in media outreach.

Three days, 30 media attendees, 868 pieces of coverage, 10,000 fan attendees, $50,000 in merchandise sales, 2.1 billion earned media impressions and half a billion social media impressions. The event reached full capacity each day, with fans waiting up to 5 ½ hours.

Response from consumers and media were incredible, with over a dozen outlets claiming Taco Bell “won” Comic-Con activations, besting all other brands.

30 outlets including the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times, CNET, Gizmodo, and Gamespot attended and shared rave reviews. With CNET touting “This year at Comic-Con, Taco Bell bested every other brand,” and Gizmodo proclaiming, “The Franchise Wars have come and gone, with one fast food chain emerging as the champion: Taco Bell.”

Fan and media response cemented Nacho Fries as a menu staple for Taco Bell and confirmed fries would continue to appear on national menus.