Live Más Cam at Participating Locations Snaps Photos of Fans in Drive-Thru
If Taco Bell Rewards members pose for a special drive-through-lane camera, they can compete for an appearance in a Super Bowl ad. On Tuesday, the brand unveiled its Live Más Drive-Thru Cam, which this month will snap images of customers inside their vehicles after they’ve received their orders at the pickup window. Customers who choose to participate are in essence auditioning for their couple of seconds of fame in Taco Bell\’s Super Bowl LIX commercial, which will air during the third quarter of the game.
Like every other Super Bowl advertiser, Taco Bell is placing a hefty bet on the ad. A 30-second spot during the 2024 Super Bowl cost around $7 million, according to CBS News. This year the price was slightly higher, according to Ministry of Sport, and Fox Corp. already has sold out every ad slot that’s available in the Feb. 9 Super Bowl. Taco Bell punted on Super Bowl ads for the 2023 and 2024 telecasts, so it’s noteworthy that the brand has gotten back in the game in 2025.
How to Participate
Taco Bell\’s Live Más Drive-Thru Cams are available at five select restaurants sprinkled around the country, starting now in California. To participate, Taco Bell Rewards members should log in to the Taco Bell app while in the drive-through lane and then scan a QR code at the end of the drive-through lane. The code starts a countdown to snapping photographs of customers.
The camera takes three photos each of the driver and passenger sides of the vehicle. Two digital photo strips containing each of the three photos – with the strips resembling those generated at a real-world photo booth — will be emailed to the Taco Bell Rewards member.
Customers, Not Celebrities, as Stars
In an article about the Live Más camera initiative, MediaPost observed that while many brands have harnessed the power of user-generated content, “Taco Bell is taking UGC to an entirely new level.” And a Marketing Dive report on the drive-through snapshots noted that Taco Bell, owned by Yum! Brands Inc., clearly seems to be moving away from celebrity-focused Super Bowl commercials. Yum! Brands also is the parent of KFC, Pizza Hut and Habit Burger & Grill.
“Every day in our drive-throughs we see moments that are so uniquely ‘our fans’ – the moments, the memories and the energy that makes Taco Bell who we are,” Chief Marketing Officer Taylor Montgomery said in a statement quoted by Nation’s Restaurant News. “That’s why, for our return to football’s biggest stage, we’re sidelining the celebrities and turning the camera on the fans who already make Taco Bell what it is. We’re inviting Taco Bell Rewards members to come through and do you.”
Taco Bell’s last Super Bowl advertisement, which appeared during the 2022 football game, starred pop singer and rapper Doja Cat. She landed the role due to being an unabashed fan of Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap Supreme.
Which Restaurants Are Participating?
Citing a Taco Bell news release, USA Today reported that the drive-through camera will be operating from 2 to 10 p.m. at the following locations on these dates:
- Dec. 3-5: 1604 S. La Brea Ave. in Los Angeles.
- Dec. 4-6: 17565 E. Bagley Road in Middleburg Heights, Ohio.
- Dec. 10-12: 310 Big Mac Drive in Cookeville, Tenn.
- Dec. 11-13: 15797 JFK Blvd. in Houston.
- Dec. 17-19: 116 W. Rea Road in Wauchula, Fla.
If you want to try for your star turn at the above times, dates and restaurant sites, you can sign up for the brand’s loyalty program at tacobell.com/rewards or through the Taco Bell mobile app. Photos will be incorporated into the advertisement through Taco Bell’s partnership with the food marketing specialist Biite. The Super Bowl ad campaign also will have an assist from Edelman, Spark Foundry, The Syndicate, Deeplocal and Cycle / Laundry Service.
