Dive Brief:
- The news that Todd Mills, the man who led the social-media movement to create a Doritos-flavored taco for Taco Bell, had died at the age of 41, spread quickly yesterday. Newspapers, social media and television filled with tributes to the junk-food mastermind.
- Many of those tributes noted that Mills, who had never sought nor received compensation for his role in the rise of the billion-dollar Doritos Locos Tacos craze, left behind medical bills, a wife and two children.
- By the end of the day many of those tributes had taken on a nasty, angry tone aimed at Taco Bell.
- In response, a Taco Bell public-relations firm began mass e-mailing a bizarre statement to reporters saying that Mills didn't "invent" the Doritos taco and that the restaurant chain had donated $1,000 to Mills' family.
Dive Insight:
We received one of those emails from the Taylor public relations firm. And, like others in the media, found it weird and offensive. It makes absolutely no sense that Taco Bell would choose the moment of Mills death to start nitpicking over whether or not he "invented" the product.
More importantly, we have to wonder why no one considered the possibility that a $1,000 donation would be seen as paltry and cruel. And that's what seems to be happening. Taco Bell's Facebook page has filled with angry comments from furious customers.
We fully expect Taco Bell will have to backtrack on this quickly. No doubt the folks at PepsiCo's Frito-Lay, maker of Doritos, are pleased that they have so far avoided the worst of the social-media anger. And no doubt the public-relations teams at both companies are looking for a way to get past this without further damage.
Below is the message that Taco Bell distributed after Mills' death. We tend to agree with Michael Roberts of the Arkansas Times. He received the same note and responded by writing: "There are good ways to handle these sorts of situations, and there are bad ways. Sending out emails like this ranks on up there with some of the worst. Taco Bueno tacos are better, anyway."
“We know this is a tragic time for Todd’s family. He was a huge Taco Bell fan. He was passionate about the Doritos Locos Taco, and although he did not invent it, he founded a Facebook page to drum up support. In light of his passion, we invited him to be one of the first to try it. He became a true friend of the brand, so when we learned of his ill health, we made a $1,000 donation towards his medical expenses. We will miss Todd very much and our hearts are with his family and friends in this difficult time.”