IRVINE Calif. Taco Bell has brought back its “Feed the Beat” program for a third year to reward up and coming indie rock bands on tour with free late-night Fourthmeals.
The chain plans to conduct a nationwide search for 100 bands, twice as many as last year, and provide them with $500 in Taco Bell Bucks per band while they tour.
Taco Bell also will expand marketing support of the program with the launch of an interactive website at www.feedthebeat.com, which will feature music to help the bands build a fan base. The centerpiece of the site is a “Best of the Beat” competition, in which three bands will win a larger prize package.
The winning bands will work with Taco Bell to identify and hire a well-known indie rock producer to record a single for them, which will be promoted next spring on the website and through online advertising and in-store efforts. The website address will be featured on Taco Bell’s sauce packets, which the chain said reach more than 208 million people in about a month.
Bands chosen to participate in this year’s program will be announced Oct. 9.
Taco Bell, a division of Yum! Brands Inc., has about 5,600 U.S. units. Its Fourthmeal program was launched several years ago to target consumers who want a meal between dinner and breakfast.