TACO BELL

Doja Cat Uses Her Song Placement In A Taco Bell Ad To Campaign For The Return Of Mexican Pizza

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doja cat taco bell mexican pizza
Getty Image/Ralph Ordaz

Doja Cat, who had a huge year with the release of her third album Planet Her, is trying to leverage her influence to bring back a beloved fast-food menu item: Taco Bell’s discontinued Mexican pizza. Last year, Taco Bell cut the menu favorite in an effort to streamline its gargantuan selection (and save over 7 million pounds of paperboard in the process). The move was met with general outcry on social media as fans mourned the loss of the topping-stacked tortilla in a box.

At the time, Doja Cat was one of those who lamented the pizza getting axed, “asking nicely” for the fast-food giant to reconsider. However, in the past year, Doja has apparently accumulated some goodwill at Taco Bell corporate — or, at least, at Taco Bell’s ad agency — landing her song “Get Into It (Yuh)” on the company’s new commercial for its Double Steak Grilled Cheese Burrito. In the ad, a geeky cosplayer (SAGA!!) appears to have met their match, until the infamous Taco Bell sound effect prompts a late-night snack run instead (surely, they could have done both, but I digress).

Doja, seizing the opportunity, tweeted, “Hey @tacobell, just heard my song in your commercial… I’m a #TacoBellPartner now. So where’s my Mexican Pizza?”

When a fan answered, prompting her to speak to Taco Bell’s “Chief Impact Officer,” who is a friend of Doja’s — it’s Lil Nas X, by the way — the Taco Bell account responded in typical personified corporate account fashion: with a the three-emoji string of eye-mouth-eye, implying… well, there are a lot of potential definitions, but in this case, it seems to be a sanguine interest in the topic being discussed.

Of course, that only opened the door for more of Doja’s meme-ready shenanigans, as she hit Taco Bell with that infamous three-letter acronym, “WYD?” When the response turned out to not be “rolling out those delicious Mexican pizzas,” though, she dismissed her new playmate, telling them to “STFU” until further notice.

Could this be the beginning of the return of the Mexican Pizza menu item? Wouldn’t it be a weird way to begin the rollout? And isn’t “weird” pretty much Doja’s (and Lil Nas X’s) whole brand? And how does Rico Nasty — Doja’s good friend who occasionally goes by the alter ego “Tacobella” — figure into all of this (they’ve swapped profile pics for the past week or so)? I don’t know, but I can’t wait to find out. Fingers crossed for a “limited-time” sort of deal, a la Megan Thee Stallion’s “Hottie Sauce” collab with Popeyes.

Lil Nas X Is Back To Working At Taco Bell, But In A Much Larger Role This Time

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Not all that long ago, Lil Nas X worked at Taco Bell. Now, he is once again working with the restaurant, but in a different role: It was announced today that he is the chain’s new Chief Impact Officer.

A press release notes that Chief Impact Officer is “a newly created honorary role that will allow [Nas] to collaborate on the brand experience from the inside out.” It continues,”In his first 60 days, Lil Nas X and Taco Bell are teaming up to offer an exclusive experience around the upcoming release of his album Montero, launching Taco Bell’s newest menu innovations, and most importantly, tapping into his history as a Taco Bell team member to help make the experience even more impactful. ”

Taco Bell CEO Mark King said, “Lil Nas X knows the job, the experience and the culture Taco Bell creates for its fans — including its people. This unique partnership will deliver on more than just marketing, allowing us to tap into the genius of Lil Nas X to inspire our team members and align with our commitment to unlocking opportunities for young people.”

Jennifer Frommer, SVP Brand Partnerships & Commercial Sync at Columbia Records, also noted of the partnership, “Lil Nas X is one of the most important voices of this generation. His expertise in understanding social media and youth culture alongside his skills in creating great music makes this partnership with Taco Bell exciting, brave and one of the most innovative campaigns I’ve had the pleasure of creating.”

Nas previously reflected on his time working at the restaurant, posting some in-uniform selfies earlier this year and writing, “in 2017 on this day i got my first job at taco bell. here’s me leaving the cash register unguarded to take pictures in the restroom.”