The marketing team at Taco Bell, Irvine, CA, last week generated some buzz by promising free tacos to the entire U.S. population if Russia’s Mir space station landed on a 40-foot-by-40-foot target on its return to earth.
The QSR chain set up a floating target carrying the company logo and the phrase, “Free Tacos Here,” about 10 miles off the coast of Australia. But Mir landed off course near Chile. The chain quickly rolled out a “consolation” offer of two tacos for 99 cents.
Dallas-based prize guarantor SCA Promotions provided insurance in case the 135-ton Mir did hit the target. Taco Bell estimated that giving all 281 million Americans a free taco would have cost about $10 million.
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