Returning to the Big Game after a two-year absence, Taco Bell’s 30-second ad will reportedly celebrate the brand’s biggest fans, some of whom showed up for the Live Más Drive-Thru Cams. While no product has been mentioned as the star of the Big Game ad, a teaser featuring Doja Cat (who also appeared in the 2022 Super Bowl spot) has been released. However, nostalgia and value have been driving Taco Bell intent of late rather than celebrities—with the recent 30-second “The 90’s” spot serving as a great example. What made this creative so effective in driving positive business outcomes?
While conversions represent completed actions and can provide a snapshot of post-campaign performance, they are influenced by a variety of external factors, including competitor maneuvers, pricing, and changing market conditions.
Purchase intent is the purest early indicator of an ad’s sales potential—but knowing why it resonates is even more powerful. With these insights, advertisers can sharpen their creative strategies and refine messaging to positively influence purchase decisions.
iSpot’s Creative Assessment analyzed three years of Taco Bell ads to pinpoint the winning creative elements that most influence consumer intent. The Optimal Profile below reveals the features that set high-performing ads apart.
Taco Bell: The 90’s :30
Purchase Intent Gap to Category Norm: +10 pts (77% Top 2 Box)
Taco Bell’s Optimal Profile pinpoints Likeability as the most differentiating creative metric driving viewers to be more likely to purchase, followed by Relevance. The Attention-grabbing quality of the ad as well the level of Information and Change conveyed contributes a lesser but still positive influence.
The brand’s 30-second “The 90’s” ranked in the 99th percentile in Relevance and the 93rd in Likeability, easily achieving a high level performance on these key drivers of intent, while also outpacing its Optimal Profile in all other performance categories.
With an audio track by Harvey Danger, this spot celebrated the return of Taco Bell’s Gordita Supreme (first marketed in the 90’s) in nostalgic fashion while weaving in plenty of Yummy* product visuals included in the Value*-based $7 Cravings Box. Sparking Curiosity*, the 30-second spot offered entertainment, authenticity, and convenience. It’s not surprising then, that this ad sat high in the upper Purchase Intent quadrant (indicative of its ability to move viewers to action). In fact, Creative Assessment results revealed a Top 2 Box intent of 77% for “The 90’s” (outpacing the average QSR ad by +10 percentage points).
For any given brand, making a measurable impact on its unique set of KPIs can deliver higher purchase intent creative—whether it’s Likeability, Attention, Relevance or the level of Information or Change conveyed in the ad. Will Taco Bell’s 2025 Big Game ad deliver the same results? Sign up for iSpot’s VIP Ad Center to find out and track creative and audience performance insights for every Super Bowl LIX ad, including pre-releases and teasers.
*Indicates one of the 57 emotional reactions iSpot Creative Assessment measures for every video ad.