This post is part of our Ads Gone Bad series. Share your thoughts and memories of this ad in the comments, and be sure to check out our other posts on marketing gone wrong.
Restaurant giant Yum Brands (NYSE: YUM) owns and operates several popular fast food chains like Pizza Hut, KFC, A&W, and of course Taco Bell. The Taco Bell chain features lower quality, packaged ingredients, frozen meats, and poultry, and all at low prices. Fair enough, it's a fast food joint and the food overall is okay-to-good -- depending on one's mood!
The Taco Bell dog featured in the advertising campaign that ended in 2000 was a Chihuahua, an almost rat-like creature. Cute? Yes. Annoying? Yes. I know because my family has a Chihuahua we call Gracie! The Hispanic community felt that the Chihuahua represented an ethnic stereotype. The dog was voiced-over with a Hispanic accent and the implication was very clear. Many Hispanics were especially annoyed because they do not consider Taco Bell's food authentic "home cooking."
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