In the cheekiest way possible, Taco Bell is calling upon consumers to turn their heads at mundane burger patties being sold by other QSRs and instead choose a burrito in an act of defiance.

Adrianne Chow, senior marketing manager, Yum Brands, tells MiC that Taco Bell is directing its efforts toward a core target audience of “individualistic 18- to 24-year-old males who want to break away from the boring status quo and try something different.”

Media planning and creative was carried out by Toronto-based agencies MediaCom and Grip Limited respectively. TV spots are airing on specialty and conventional channels including TheScore, Comedy Showcase and Sportsnet, while the online buy includes pre-roll on websites such as MSN, TSN and YouTube.

Burgerbacklash.ca, an interactive site created by Toronto-based OSL Marketing, acts as the campaign hub for viewers to interact and learn about the rivalry between “Big Burger” and Taco Bell.

The intermingling of multimedia and social, where consumers can place images of three friends from Facebook into a video on the site, is what makes the campaign unique for the brand, says Chow. After the video has been made, it is posted to the social networking site and the consumer is offered a buy-one-get-one-free coupon.

“We wanted [a campaign] that truly represents the brand’s irreverent nature and we wanted something that really speaks to our core target,” says Chow. “Traditional [platforms] are still important to drive that mass awareness, but it’s also about [online] and talking to our target [audience] where they are.”