The great Crispy Chicken Sandwich Taco Debate campaign

Is Taco Bell’s new Crispy Chicken Sandwich Taco a sandwich or a taco?

Debuted earlier this year in test markets as a new innovation in the chicken sandwich wars, Taco Bell’s crispy chicken sandwich taco grabbed national consumer attention and brought on heated debate, is it a sandwich? Is it a taco? Can it be both?

To help us tackle the question and encourage the discussion, Taco Bell is launching a new campaign that brings in the experts: two real championship-level college debate teams. The Great Crispy Chicken Sandwich Taco Debate launched nationally during one of the most anticipated matchups of the college football season.

The campaign puts the #SandwichTacoDebate in the hands of real-life student athletes from Clemson and Georgia’s debate teams. The arguments were developed by the students themselves, who also play a starring role in the ads:

The Great Debate amplifies the #SandwichTacoDebate on a national stage, airing on ABC in a way that’s equally must-see as the football game itself. Taco Bell is flipping the script and giving our unsung heroes, the college debate students, the spotlight they deserve in similar fashion to how NCAA athletes are typically treated.

Made in collaboration with creative agency Deutsch LA, the integrated effort features a hero spot airing in the first quarter of the game, two spots running in the second quarter and fourth quarter (respectively), and a final debate highlights spot that will continue to air in the weeks after the game as well as on social. Additionally, the campaign will utilise ESPN commentators in the game immediately following Clemson-Georgia, with them throwing to the spots during halftime of the BYU-Arizona game.

And because we all know the internet loves a good debate, the campaign encourages audiences to weigh in via an array of social activations (paid and organic). Partnerships with influencers and SportsNation will also help to hype and extend the Great Debate.