Summarize the Taco Bell “seasoned beef” crisis. How did the company use both issues management and crisis communication to avoid a PR disaster?

What will be an ideal response?

Taco Bell was sued over the contents of its signature menu item and the meat used in its tacos. The lawsuit alleged that the company’s “seasoned beef” contained only 35% beef and that Taco Bell was lying in its advertising, which claimed the ingredients were all beef. Due to issues management, Taco Bell was prepared for such a situation via its ongoing monitoring of consumer comments and had a litigation response protocol already in place. Taco Bell responded aggressively and explicitly declared the claims false and shared its percentages along with the ingredients in the secret recipe itself. The company quickly fired up a multi-platform PR campaign to shoot down the allegations and get the word out about its not-so-secret recipe. It included traditional local market newspapers but also focused on online outreach with a YouTube channel, dedicated Facebook page, and more--online, in store, and in the traditional media.