More Of A Meal Than A Muffin

McDonald's Egg McMuffin has been the ubiquitous morning meal since fast food breakfast became an option. But, if America's breakfast order has been the same since 1975, is it love or just habit? Taco Bell entered the QSR daypart, calling McDonald's out by name. A couple of years out, the stellar growth started to slow.

We leaned into projective research to better understand the unconscious McDonald's preference. There was a lot of emotion at the heart of their hold on breakfast: comfort, familiarity, and nostalgia.

Taco Bell needed something worth interrupting the morning routine when most people were on autopilot. We needed a hero product, and the AM Crunchwrap was it. Distinct, dynamic, and fits all the breakfast favorites in one hand. Just as Taco Bell had embraced the "Challenger" position opposite McDonald's, the AM Crunchwrap went head to head with the McDonald's McMuffin. Taco Bell's AM Crunchwrap became the hero, offering an entire on-the-go breakfast. The campaign saw AM Crunchwrap sales jump, specifically with critical target audiences like Millennial professionals. The efforts surrounding the AM Crunchwrap helped to cement Taco Bell's place in the QSR breakfast battle.