How Old El Paso created a viral and successful marketing campaign?

‘Porque no los dos.’

Now you can’t tell me you didn’t immediately think of that little girl getting thrown in the air raving about soft- and hard-shell tacos. But why do we remember this ad? I’ll tell you why this advertisement has become such a hit through Jennifer Lonoff Schiff’s 7 steps to creating a successful integrated marketing campaign.

The Old El Paso advertisement first aired in 2007 becoming a viral sensation whilst becoming a common trigger in households influencing the purchase behaviour of tacos.

Through, Schiff’s’ model we can analyse how it has happened, first through Old El Paso clearly identifying their target audience and, finding the needs and wants of the consumer then serving that to them. This was successfully achieved through appealing to both children and adults, this is essentially catering to the average Australian family who can’t decide what they want for dinner. Although the advertisement is centred around deciding between soft- and hard-shell tacos, Old El Paso was not only able to fulfil this want of having both options, it also instilled in the consumers mind that the key to a happy dinner is their product. 

Using the second step in Schiff’s model Old El Paso needed to ‘Pick their Channels’. They knew their audience was families, so they needed to decide which channels would be appropriate to broadcast their marketing message. As the advertisement was produced in 2007, Old El Paso decided to use television as their marketing channel as this was the most used media platform for consumers of this time period. The commercial aired typically between 4pm and 7pm just prior to dinner, in an attempt to encourage purchase behaviour.

The third step within the process is ensuring that your brand maintains a consistent visual identity. Old El Paso continued with ‘Porque no los do’ advertisement for a decade following, due to brand awareness gained from the iconic quote constantly being aired.

Next, Old El Paso needed to utilise the fourth step in the process which is to create a clear message which could be adapted or repurposed to suit other media outlets. Due to the era, social media wasn’t as dominant in the marketing of products, so instead Old El Paso decided to cut the advertisement from its original 30 seconds down to 15 seconds. This not only allowed for cost reductions it also meant the advertisement was more direct as it got to the point faster.

For this advertisement to be successful it must be integrated and encourage the consumers purchase behaviour of Old El Paso products, specifically the hard and soft taco dinner kit and accompanying sauces.

Schiff then recommends that for a brand to be successful within advertising, marketing teams must work collaboratively to produce the advertisement. Although it is difficult to gauge whether or not Old El Paso is fulfilling this step, due to its success we can assume they are doing so.Financial reports have shown an increase in the brands sales, going up in revenue by 6% in the first year after the advertisement’s release, whilst continuing to grow for some years after.

9 thoughts on “How Old El Paso created a viral and successful marketing campaign?

  1. Informative piece, couldn’t agree more. In my opinion the advertisement is still iconic for the reasons mentioned above. Nick is definitely one to watch, keep up the good work!

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    1. Thanks Frank for the comment! I think this advertisement became iconic as they knew their target audience and used the right channel to reach their consumers!

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      1. Very informative piece with some cracker ideas touched on here. Totally agree with your points.

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  2. Definitely an iconic advertisement and even more so entertaining column, Nick! I think Old El Paso’s campaign was very successful as they didn’t have a narrow focus in mind; such that they targeted the campaign to both hard and soft taco lovers, as well as representing age/generation through each family member. That way, Old El Paso didn’t neglect any specific person. Inclusivity could be one of the factors as to the success of the ad and in leading it to become viral as people of all ages could spread the word of mouth about it.

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  3. The advertisement is so catchy that it was stuck in my head and really made me want to go make tacos for dinner. This piece is very informative as it really strips down the reason behind why Old El Paso’s is such a catchy and influential ad

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  4. Very interesting article and break down of the advertisement and marketing procedure behind it, no wonder I always associate tacos and that little girl together!

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  5. Brilliant piece Nick, and what an ad this was! You have summed it up perfectly, and is definitely an ad that Australians will always remember.

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  6. A fantastic piece to read Nick. It is true that a really powerful ad campaign is one that is interesting, funny and memorable, and clearly defines what the product is, the type of commercial that is often the topic of discussion, or is frequently quoted. This is certainly the case with Old El Paso Tacos and your piece certainly highlights this point. Your point’s are sound and your evaluation of Jennifer Lonoff Schiff’s ‘7 Steps’ in reference to Old El Paso’s taco ad really breaks down the marketing process in an articulate manner and it’s easy to see why more companies have looked to utilise this means of marketing. This was a highly enjoyable read!!!

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