teaser kits

We sent them exclusive Belluminati welcome kits with a message explaining the Belluminati, and how they were now officially members in our eyes.

By creating a physical object, it made the Belluminati feel more real. Not just something made up for a commercial. It blended a fictional world with reality.

Inside the kit, we rewarded them with gift cards and gave them a head start on the digital adventures yet to come.

This took the form of a blacklight and a single dollar bill that revealed a secret message when illuminated.

They became the first people to know about the existence of the Belluminati, and that there was more to it than just TV commercials. It was like the thread that needed to be pulled in order for the whole thing to unravel.

Also, the fact that they were the first to be contacted earned them bragging rights among their peers– yet another reward for being a loyal fan.

delicious CONSPIRACIES

To really drive home the connection between Taco Bell and the one dollar bill, we created ridiculous conspiracy theories that we let loose on IMGUR. We parodied the flawed logic often used in online conspiracy theories.

The silliness and troll-like nature of the post blended perfectly with the personality of the IMGUR community, with many believing the posts were native / non-ads until they reached the very end.

Needless to say, that’s a huge win for a corporation.

SCAVENGER HUNT
(CRYPTIC PUZZLES)

Next, we wanted our fans to be able to actually engage with the Belluminati. But a secret society doesn’t just reveal its secrets.

So we created a scavenger hunt consisting of three cryptic puzzles, each giving fans access to a different tier of a secret webstore we created filled with exclusive Belluminati merch.

The First Unlock (easy)

We posted an image on Twitter with one instruction: look closely at the ONE in the center. Fans that followed the instructions eventually discovered the password hiding somewhere in the bill.

The Second Unlock (medium)

We posted an Instagram video of Washington looking at the corner of the bill. Could the answer be on your own dollar bill?

The Final Unlock (difficult)

Lastly, we took to Reddit to post another video, this time in Morse Code. It was the highest engagement Taco Bell ever had on Reddit and it almost crashed our store with the sheer number of people trying to guess the password.

Clients were afraid that no one was going to be able to crack this one, but we insisted that advertising creatives could not possibly be smarter than Redditors…. a claim which turned out to be right. Fans ended up cracking it in the final hours, unlocking the best merch.

exclusive belluminati GEAR

Fans that successfully unlocked our store had the chance to buy exclusive merch that we designed. But they had to act quick, because all of the items sold out within a matter of minutes. One guy even hacked his way into our store via a brute force cyber attack.

In naming these products, I had a lot of fun parodying mythology and high fantasy lore.