'SNL' Has Done Funnier Taco Commercials Than Pete Davidson
Nice try, Pete Davidson.
Your new Taco Bell commercial has people talking, although it’s less “that was hilarious!” and more “why is Pete Davidson making Taco Bell commercials?” It’s easy to see where Taco Bell is coming from--it wants to “apologize” for the chaotic mess previously known as its breakfast menu and who’s more chaotic than Pete? Still, hire a world-famous comedian and you expect a few more laughs.
"I like to think I might be the muse behind Live Más, which is probably why they brought me on to apologize for their maybe-too-extreme innovations in the mornings,” says Pete in a press release that was in no way written for him by an advertising copywriter trying to speak Gen Z. "Taco Bell got too caught up with today's hustle and forgot people like to ease into their morning with tasty, simple food. Here to stay are delicious burritos and Crunch-things or Crunchwraps or whatever they're called."
Taco Bell and Pete can do better. For an example of how to properly ridicule an overstuffed menu, look no further than Saturday Night Live, Davidson’s old stomping grounds. Over at Taco Town, Bill Hader, Jason Sudeikis, and Andy Samberg try to choke down every combination of meat, cheese, and beans known to man.
Don’t get us wrong, SNL understands that it ain’t easy to make a world-class taco commercial. Maybe that’s why Taco Bell hired Pete in the first place -- if you can’t deliver the lines, no amount of taco goodness can save you, right, Del Taco?
“You don’t want to kill yourself, you just want a taco!”
Then again, maybe the customers are the problem. Pete’s commercial implies that Taco Bell had made things too complicated and Sean Tresvant, the taco chain’s chief brand officer, agrees. “We honestly over-innovated in breakfast,” he admits, referring to wacky (and now discontinued) breakfast items like the Naked Egg Taco and Waffle Taco. “When you look at today’s consumer and the breakfast business, it’s about familiarity and it’s about comfort.” We guess Taco Bell’s simplified menu makes sense when you consider how confused patrons can get over the simplest taco promotions.
We guess Pete should be grateful for one thing. At least he isn’t being asked to sell Almost Pizza. From Pfizer!
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Top image: Taco Bell
