This year, we rolled out Crunchkin, an interactive game in the Taco Bell app that features a digital pet named Cruncho! As part of the Decades re-launch, take a peek behind the purple curtain to see how Crunchkin and Cruncho came to be.
Building on the success of last year’s Relive the Decades campaign, we recognized that nostalgia was a powerful way to connect with our fans. We saw their excitement to see iconic 2000s items make a comeback and that insight sparked the creation of Y2K Decades. Bringing this era to life meant incorporating nostalgic touches into every element of the campaign.
Kyle H., Senior Associate Manager, Brand, said, “Our idea, Escape to the 2000’s, inspired a nostalgic return to the look and feel of the Y2K era. Another brilliant relic of the 2000’s was the digital pet craze.”
After the digital and brand teams connected on the objective of the campaign, they started brainstorming on how it could show up in the Taco Bell app. That’s how the interactive game idea of Crunchkin was born.
Kassandra S., Senior Associate Manager on the Customer Relationship Management team, shared that an early version of Crunchkin was brought up at one of their weekly digital ideation meetings.
“We knew we had to do something [extra fun] for the Decades menu re-launch, so the team came together to think of ways we could fuse nostalgia with innovation. It was a question of what we could do to plus up the past experiences we’ve given consumers on the app but also tie the 2000s into it.”
That’s where the digital pet, Cruncho, came in. As the team built on the idea, they went back and forth on big-picture details—like the overall interactive design, how many mini games would be included in the Crunchkin world, and how to bring personality and humor to Cruncho.
“It was a challenge to create something unique to Taco Bell and personalized without it being too complicated. While the inspiration was Y2K games and digital pets, we wanted to make sure it was simple, so it didn’t overwhelm the consumer. At the same time, we thought it would be fun to include easter eggs in the games that resonated both with Taco Bell lovers and the 2000s era.”
What’s especially exciting about Crunchkin is that it’s the first game of its kind... and Taco Bell was the one to bring it to the screen. Internal and agency teams worked tirelessly with cross-functional partners to review game builds, complete quality assurance testing and more.
“This game is special because it's nothing like what our consumers have seen before. The goal here is to always continue to innovate and expect something different, and building custom games like this allows us to do that. That’s why we’re so excited to bring Crunchkin to fans, because it’s truly been a labor of love from start to finish.”
Check out Crunchkin on the Taco Bell app between now and October 6. Feed your Crunchkin by making Decades purchases and join in on the fun through the weekly Y2K-inspired mini games. If you complete all four purchases by October 6, you can earn a Free Decades Reward. Guests can also enter to win a Decades time capsule with different Y2K Taco Bell swag!