SAN FRANCISCO ? During a presentation at ad:tech, a Taco Bell executive said that mobile is a key element in the brand?s digital marketing strategy that effectively drives on-the-go consumers into its quick-serve restaurants.

With mobile and smartphone penetration increasing exponentially, leveraging Taco Bell?s mobile site and applications for the iPhone and BlackBerry are an essential way for the brand to communicate with its consumers as they move from the couch to the car.

?We do a lot of TV advertising and we want our mobile initiatives to complement that and drive consumers to our restaurants,? said Danielle Wolfson, senior associate manager of interactive marketing at Taco Bell, Irvine, CA. ?As a large-reach advertiser I have to think how can I get as much reach as possible with as little effort as possible.

?All the TV advertising is great, but if you can?t get them into the store, then it?s all for nothing and you may lose them to a competitor,? she said. ?The mobile device is very personal, so marketing in that channel is more challenging than any other medium, but it can also be more rewarding if done right.

?Mobile is another communications platform for Taco Bell?everything we do has our brand?s voice in it, and mobile is another way to communicate with our consumers.?

Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum Brands Inc.

Out-and-about Taco Bell consumers
Fast-food chains have realized that mobile has to be an integral part of their marketing mix, and Taco Bell's increasing investment in mobile is a case-in-point (see story).

Web-enabled handsets provide accessibility for on-the-go customers to access the mobile version of Tacobell.com from anywhere at any time.

Consumers who search for Taco Bell or type in Tacobell.com on their handset are automatically redirected to the brand?s mobile Web site at http://m.tacobell.com, which was launched in February 2009.

Taco Bell?s mobile Web strategy is to provide utility to out-and-about Taco Bell consumers with location and store hours via their mobile devices.

The brand realizes the importance of providing access via all mobile devices with Internet access, because most do not support Flash, on which Taco Bell?s wired Web site relies heavily.

The mobile Web site features new products and menu items, a store locator with hours of operation for franchise locations closest to each consumer and a menu, the latter accounting for more than 50 percent of total page views.

In addition, there is nutritional information and allergen data, as well as links to download Taco Bell mobile applications and ringtones.

So far, the iPhone and BlackBerry have been the most popular devices in terms of handsets accessing the Taco Bell mobile site.

If you add iPhone?48 percent?and iPod touch?13 percent?61 percent of all consumers accessing Taco Bell?s mobile site are Apple users.

BlackBerry comes in a distant second at 13 percent of all mobile site visitors.

Taco Bell has run various promotions that have been featured on the mobile site, including the Teen Foundation?s ?Give for Graduation Day? campaign and the NBA $5 Buck Box.

Taco Bell ran NBA $5 Buck Box banner ads within the NBA portal of ESPN Mobile driving consumers back to the mobile site, which offered downloads of two-minute 30-second video and ringtones  featuring Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley.

?That?s exclusive content you wouldn?t find anywhere else,? Ms. Wolfson said. ?The mobile elements also complement our TV ad campaign on ESPN?we tie them together.

?From our internal brand standpoint, everybody gets mobile and understands why it?s so important for our brand, even more so than traditional online advertising.?

Beyond the mobile site 
In May 2009, Taco Bell launched its first iPhone application as the centerpiece of its "Why Pay More" promotion (see story).

The brand also tapped AdMob for a seeding mobile ad campaign to drive awareness and downloads of the application.

AdMob targeted iPhone users by channel.

In June and July 2009, mobile banner ads carried Taco Bell?s logo and the call-to-action ?Get free app,? resulting in 30 percent of the total application downloads during that summer 2009 campaign.

Taco Bell?s cost per download was less than $2.

Taco Bell then created a downloadable store locator application based on mobile devices? GPS capabilities, and also integrated GPS functionality into the Why Pay More application.

The brand expanded the Why Pay More application to BlackBerry at the beginning of this year and will release a version for Android devices in the near future.

Ms. Wolfson said that developing a mobile database via SMS opt-ins is also a high priority for Taco Bell, as is mobile integration into its marketing programs in every channel.

?Scale is important?we?re looking at the easiest ways to get to as many consumers as possible,? Ms. Wolfson said. ?The reach component is very important to us?we wanted to reach every device out there.

?We have a different focus for the mobile site and the apps?we?re making sure we keep those strategies separate,? she said. ?We pared down the mobile site to core functionality, keeping it very simple and very clean with all the information you need on the go?the objective was not to clutter up the mobile site keeping utility in mind.

?The mobile site is something you have to have, but for an app you have to think ?What could this do for our consumers?? It has to be a thing they love that communicates our brand message and provide a utility.?