Taco Bell announced a new social media foray yesterday with its new Snapchat account, according to TechCrunch.
More than 60 million photos are sent through the app every day, according to the New York Times. After being viewed for a few seconds by their recipient, the images disappear forever. Taco Bell is asking users to add them to be able to send them ephemeral advertising.
We're on @snapchat. Username: tacobell. Add us. We’re sending all of our friends a secret announcement tomorrow! #Shhh
— Taco Bell (@TacoBell) May 1, 2013
Taco Bell is no stranger to social media. The company has promoted its Doritos Locos Tacos with a promoted trend, #DoritosLocosTacos, and utilized user-uploaded Instagram photos for a TV ad.
The "secret message" was the return of the much-loved Beefy Crunch Burrito.
"People are obsessed with Beefy Crunch Burrito, so Snapchat seemed like the right platform to make the announcement," said Tressie Lieberman, director of social and digital media for Taco Bell.
Snapchat has come under fire for its use in sexting, since its self-destructing images have attracted risque users. There is no guarantee against Snapchat recipients taking screenshots or pictures with other devices of the transient images.
Below is an example of just one of the shared images.
The move could be lucrative for both Taco Bell and Snapchat, as it provides an outlet for interactive advertising that users are not forced to view -- like banner ads -- but rather make a choice to open it.
