of the United Kingdom’s capitol city.
In a retail landscape obsessed with speed, seamlessness, and automation, Taco Bell is focused on building something more durable: an ecosystem designed for culture, community belonging, and fandom.
For Dane Mathews, Global Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Taco Bell, all investments and strategic decisions ladder back to one reality: “there’s only one Taco Bell.” He had a wide-ranging conversation with Phillip Jackson, Co-Founder and CEO of Future Commerce, to break down the company’s approach to innovation, and how fan and team member experience always intersect.
Below is a glimpse into Mathew’s playbook, which is motivating the Taco Bell community to “live más.”
Rule 1. Don’t let seamlessness supersede memory
“Seamless” has become the default promise of modern commerce. But sometimes, the quest for seamlessness overtakes the fundamentals of good service, which hinges on authentic connection and belonging.
For Taco Bell, memorability is the real objective.
“I think ease is really important, certainly for consumers and for your team members, but ease is not the goal,” Mathews explained. “For Taco Bell, it’s really about fandom and growth. It's got to be more than easy; it's got to be memorable. And I think for me, creating space for differentiation and being memorable is the most likely path, but it's not a straightforward path. It is an iterative path. But I think being memorable is the secret to success in the marketplace, and certainly has been the secret sauce [for Taco Bell].”
Too little friction creates slippery experiences, Jackson noted. It can lead to higher returns, lower commitment, and weaker attachment. The right friction creates meaning and resonance, especially for consumers (or fans) who have already raised their hand, indicating that they want to engage more meaningfully with the brand.
Key takeaway: Optimization without emotional intent leads to sameness. Memorability is now a strategic KPI.
Rule 2. Technology should elevate human capabilities and experiences
Mathews draws a sharp line between what technology should do and what humans should do.
In Taco Bell restaurants, technology helps mitigate back-of-house complexity. Team members must manage mobile ordering, third-party delivery services, drive-thru demand, and more, making their job extremely difficult.
“The first question is, how does technology help make our team members’ jobs easier? That's so important, not because we're trying to create easy jobs, but because the second important thing is we know our team members, at the end of the day, actually want to deliver a great experience to our fans and our guests. Technology does have a very good role and a strong role in ease and efficiency, but it is meant to unleash their natural superpower and deliver something far more memorable for the brand.”
Taco Bell’s ConnectMe feature, which allows customers to integrate their mobile app with the drive-thru screen, also creates a clear throughline for employees to access customer data. These capabilities are especially valuable for employees to create moments of surprise and delight for the brand’s most loyal customers. For instance, after one customer integrated her mobile app and redeemed her birthday reward, the team gathered at the pickup window to sing “Happy Birthday” to her. A transactional moment became a loyalty lever, and Mathews loved the story so much that he turned it into a new experience that will launch this year.
“In a world filled with technology, it really is about humans,” Mathews said.
Key takeaway: The most powerful use of technology is hidden, freeing human teams to deliver what machines cannot.
Rule 3. Stay true to your forces of value
Mathews noted that his comment about there only being “one Taco Bell” was born “out of humility, not hubris.” Mainly because he inherited two things that were “quite special: a group of consumers who wanted to be seen, felt, and closer to the brand, and Taco Bell’s food heritage.
“The shoulders I stand on are Taco Bell’s food heritage, and my peer, Liz Matthews,” Mathews said. “I stand on the shoulders of giants in this regard. We are an innovative brand, certainly locked in value, but we’re trying to transcend the price-point narrative. I draw a lot of inspiration from our food innovation side.”
Used in tandem, these forces have helped Mathews and Taco Bell, more broadly, cultivate an innovation mindset that enables the brand to create and iterate faster than ever before.
“It’s not about the perfect widget, or the perfect experience,” Mathews said. “It’s actually about creating an innovative spirit; leaning in and being curious, launching, learning, and relaunching. That’s the secret sauce for Taco Bell.
Key takeaway: Taco Bell’s success stems from a deep understanding of the brand and the team's cultural identity. Tap into these traits to drive all decisions.
Rule 4. Loyalty Is a Multiplayer Experience
Consumers no longer want to simply consume brands. They want to participate in them. This idea was the basis for Future Commerce’s book, The Multiplayer Brand.
Taco Bell’s Fan Style experience turns customers into co-creators: fans customize menu items, name them, share them, and earn rewards when others order their creations. It’s user-generated content reimagined as product innovation. This “multiplayer brand” dynamic mirrors what we see in platforms like Minecraft or LEGO Ideas: the value lies in the reciprocal cycle of creating, sharing, and appreciating.
“Fan Style really leans into what we know is true about our loyal fans, which is that they really like to create their own food creations. So we decided to celebrate it,” Mathews said.
Mathews takes pride in his own creation, a spicy taco called Mine’s Hotter Than Yours. Jackson’s creation? An amalgamation of meat called Protein Bomb.
Key takeaway: Loyalty platforms that reward only spending miss the bigger picture. The future belongs to brands that reward participation.
The Biggest Takeaway: Know Your Muse
The underlying intent of the discussion wasn’t necessarily to offer Taco Bell’s tactical playbook. Rather, it was a dialogue to break down the company’s culture and how each individual orients around the company's north-star mission and their true muse: the fan.
In an era of AI-mediated commerce, brands that design for participation, memory, and human expression will endure.
Commerce isn’t just about infrastructure anymore. It’s about culture, community, and belonging.
In a retail landscape obsessed with speed, seamlessness, and automation, Taco Bell is focused on building something more durable: an ecosystem designed for culture, community belonging, and fandom.
For Dane Mathews, Global Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Taco Bell, all investments and strategic decisions ladder back to one reality: “there’s only one Taco Bell.” He had a wide-ranging conversation with Phillip Jackson, Co-Founder and CEO of Future Commerce, to break down the company’s approach to innovation, and how fan and team member experience always intersect.
Below is a glimpse into Mathew’s playbook, which is motivating the Taco Bell community to “live más.”
Rule 1. Don’t let seamlessness supersede memory
“Seamless” has become the default promise of modern commerce. But sometimes, the quest for seamlessness overtakes the fundamentals of good service, which hinges on authentic connection and belonging.
For Taco Bell, memorability is the real objective.
“I think ease is really important, certainly for consumers and for your team members, but ease is not the goal,” Mathews explained. “For Taco Bell, it’s really about fandom and growth. It's got to be more than easy; it's got to be memorable. And I think for me, creating space for differentiation and being memorable is the most likely path, but it's not a straightforward path. It is an iterative path. But I think being memorable is the secret to success in the marketplace, and certainly has been the secret sauce [for Taco Bell].”
Too little friction creates slippery experiences, Jackson noted. It can lead to higher returns, lower commitment, and weaker attachment. The right friction creates meaning and resonance, especially for consumers (or fans) who have already raised their hand, indicating that they want to engage more meaningfully with the brand.
Key takeaway: Optimization without emotional intent leads to sameness. Memorability is now a strategic KPI.
Rule 2. Technology should elevate human capabilities and experiences
Mathews draws a sharp line between what technology should do and what humans should do.
In Taco Bell restaurants, technology helps mitigate back-of-house complexity. Team members must manage mobile ordering, third-party delivery services, drive-thru demand, and more, making their job extremely difficult.
“The first question is, how does technology help make our team members’ jobs easier? That's so important, not because we're trying to create easy jobs, but because the second important thing is we know our team members, at the end of the day, actually want to deliver a great experience to our fans and our guests. Technology does have a very good role and a strong role in ease and efficiency, but it is meant to unleash their natural superpower and deliver something far more memorable for the brand.”
Taco Bell’s ConnectMe feature, which allows customers to integrate their mobile app with the drive-thru screen, also creates a clear throughline for employees to access customer data. These capabilities are especially valuable for employees to create moments of surprise and delight for the brand’s most loyal customers. For instance, after one customer integrated her mobile app and redeemed her birthday reward, the team gathered at the pickup window to sing “Happy Birthday” to her. A transactional moment became a loyalty lever, and Mathews loved the story so much that he turned it into a new experience that will launch this year.
“In a world filled with technology, it really is about humans,” Mathews said.
Key takeaway: The most powerful use of technology is hidden, freeing human teams to deliver what machines cannot.
Rule 3. Stay true to your forces of value
Mathews noted that his comment about there only being “one Taco Bell” was born “out of humility, not hubris.” Mainly because he inherited two things that were “quite special: a group of consumers who wanted to be seen, felt, and closer to the brand, and Taco Bell’s food heritage.
“The shoulders I stand on are Taco Bell’s food heritage, and my peer, Liz Matthews,” Mathews said. “I stand on the shoulders of giants in this regard. We are an innovative brand, certainly locked in value, but we’re trying to transcend the price-point narrative. I draw a lot of inspiration from our food innovation side.”
Used in tandem, these forces have helped Mathews and Taco Bell, more broadly, cultivate an innovation mindset that enables the brand to create and iterate faster than ever before.
“It’s not about the perfect widget, or the perfect experience,” Mathews said. “It’s actually about creating an innovative spirit; leaning in and being curious, launching, learning, and relaunching. That’s the secret sauce for Taco Bell.
Key takeaway: Taco Bell’s success stems from a deep understanding of the brand and the team's cultural identity. Tap into these traits to drive all decisions.
Rule 4. Loyalty Is a Multiplayer Experience
Consumers no longer want to simply consume brands. They want to participate in them. This idea was the basis for Future Commerce’s book, The Multiplayer Brand.
Taco Bell’s Fan Style experience turns customers into co-creators: fans customize menu items, name them, share them, and earn rewards when others order their creations. It’s user-generated content reimagined as product innovation. This “multiplayer brand” dynamic mirrors what we see in platforms like Minecraft or LEGO Ideas: the value lies in the reciprocal cycle of creating, sharing, and appreciating.
“Fan Style really leans into what we know is true about our loyal fans, which is that they really like to create their own food creations. So we decided to celebrate it,” Mathews said.
Mathews takes pride in his own creation, a spicy taco called Mine’s Hotter Than Yours. Jackson’s creation? An amalgamation of meat called Protein Bomb.
Key takeaway: Loyalty platforms that reward only spending miss the bigger picture. The future belongs to brands that reward participation.
The Biggest Takeaway: Know Your Muse
The underlying intent of the discussion wasn’t necessarily to offer Taco Bell’s tactical playbook. Rather, it was a dialogue to break down the company’s culture and how each individual orients around the company's north-star mission and their true muse: the fan.
In an era of AI-mediated commerce, brands that design for participation, memory, and human expression will endure.
Commerce isn’t just about infrastructure anymore. It’s about culture, community, and belonging.
In a retail landscape obsessed with speed, seamlessness, and automation, Taco Bell is focused on building something more durable: an ecosystem designed for culture, community belonging, and fandom.
For Dane Mathews, Global Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Taco Bell, all investments and strategic decisions ladder back to one reality: “there’s only one Taco Bell.” He had a wide-ranging conversation with Phillip Jackson, Co-Founder and CEO of Future Commerce, to break down the company’s approach to innovation, and how fan and team member experience always intersect.
Below is a glimpse into Mathew’s playbook, which is motivating the Taco Bell community to “live más.”
Rule 1. Don’t let seamlessness supersede memory
“Seamless” has become the default promise of modern commerce. But sometimes, the quest for seamlessness overtakes the fundamentals of good service, which hinges on authentic connection and belonging.
For Taco Bell, memorability is the real objective.
“I think ease is really important, certainly for consumers and for your team members, but ease is not the goal,” Mathews explained. “For Taco Bell, it’s really about fandom and growth. It's got to be more than easy; it's got to be memorable. And I think for me, creating space for differentiation and being memorable is the most likely path, but it's not a straightforward path. It is an iterative path. But I think being memorable is the secret to success in the marketplace, and certainly has been the secret sauce [for Taco Bell].”
Too little friction creates slippery experiences, Jackson noted. It can lead to higher returns, lower commitment, and weaker attachment. The right friction creates meaning and resonance, especially for consumers (or fans) who have already raised their hand, indicating that they want to engage more meaningfully with the brand.
Key takeaway: Optimization without emotional intent leads to sameness. Memorability is now a strategic KPI.
Rule 2. Technology should elevate human capabilities and experiences
Mathews draws a sharp line between what technology should do and what humans should do.
In Taco Bell restaurants, technology helps mitigate back-of-house complexity. Team members must manage mobile ordering, third-party delivery services, drive-thru demand, and more, making their job extremely difficult.
“The first question is, how does technology help make our team members’ jobs easier? That's so important, not because we're trying to create easy jobs, but because the second important thing is we know our team members, at the end of the day, actually want to deliver a great experience to our fans and our guests. Technology does have a very good role and a strong role in ease and efficiency, but it is meant to unleash their natural superpower and deliver something far more memorable for the brand.”
Taco Bell’s ConnectMe feature, which allows customers to integrate their mobile app with the drive-thru screen, also creates a clear throughline for employees to access customer data. These capabilities are especially valuable for employees to create moments of surprise and delight for the brand’s most loyal customers. For instance, after one customer integrated her mobile app and redeemed her birthday reward, the team gathered at the pickup window to sing “Happy Birthday” to her. A transactional moment became a loyalty lever, and Mathews loved the story so much that he turned it into a new experience that will launch this year.
“In a world filled with technology, it really is about humans,” Mathews said.
Key takeaway: The most powerful use of technology is hidden, freeing human teams to deliver what machines cannot.
Rule 3. Stay true to your forces of value
Mathews noted that his comment about there only being “one Taco Bell” was born “out of humility, not hubris.” Mainly because he inherited two things that were “quite special: a group of consumers who wanted to be seen, felt, and closer to the brand, and Taco Bell’s food heritage.
“The shoulders I stand on are Taco Bell’s food heritage, and my peer, Liz Matthews,” Mathews said. “I stand on the shoulders of giants in this regard. We are an innovative brand, certainly locked in value, but we’re trying to transcend the price-point narrative. I draw a lot of inspiration from our food innovation side.”
Used in tandem, these forces have helped Mathews and Taco Bell, more broadly, cultivate an innovation mindset that enables the brand to create and iterate faster than ever before.
“It’s not about the perfect widget, or the perfect experience,” Mathews said. “It’s actually about creating an innovative spirit; leaning in and being curious, launching, learning, and relaunching. That’s the secret sauce for Taco Bell.
Key takeaway: Taco Bell’s success stems from a deep understanding of the brand and the team's cultural identity. Tap into these traits to drive all decisions.
Rule 4. Loyalty Is a Multiplayer Experience
Consumers no longer want to simply consume brands. They want to participate in them. This idea was the basis for Future Commerce’s book, The Multiplayer Brand.
Taco Bell’s Fan Style experience turns customers into co-creators: fans customize menu items, name them, share them, and earn rewards when others order their creations. It’s user-generated content reimagined as product innovation. This “multiplayer brand” dynamic mirrors what we see in platforms like Minecraft or LEGO Ideas: the value lies in the reciprocal cycle of creating, sharing, and appreciating.
“Fan Style really leans into what we know is true about our loyal fans, which is that they really like to create their own food creations. So we decided to celebrate it,” Mathews said.
Mathews takes pride in his own creation, a spicy taco called Mine’s Hotter Than Yours. Jackson’s creation? An amalgamation of meat called Protein Bomb.
Key takeaway: Loyalty platforms that reward only spending miss the bigger picture. The future belongs to brands that reward participation.
The Biggest Takeaway: Know Your Muse
The underlying intent of the discussion wasn’t necessarily to offer Taco Bell’s tactical playbook. Rather, it was a dialogue to break down the company’s culture and how each individual orients around the company's north-star mission and their true muse: the fan.
In an era of AI-mediated commerce, brands that design for participation, memory, and human expression will endure.
Commerce isn’t just about infrastructure anymore. It’s about culture, community, and belonging.
In a retail landscape obsessed with speed, seamlessness, and automation, Taco Bell is focused on building something more durable: an ecosystem designed for culture, community belonging, and fandom.
For Dane Mathews, Global Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Taco Bell, all investments and strategic decisions ladder back to one reality: “there’s only one Taco Bell.” He had a wide-ranging conversation with Phillip Jackson, Co-Founder and CEO of Future Commerce, to break down the company’s approach to innovation, and how fan and team member experience always intersect.
Below is a glimpse into Mathew’s playbook, which is motivating the Taco Bell community to “live más.”
Rule 1. Don’t let seamlessness supersede memory
“Seamless” has become the default promise of modern commerce. But sometimes, the quest for seamlessness overtakes the fundamentals of good service, which hinges on authentic connection and belonging.
For Taco Bell, memorability is the real objective.
“I think ease is really important, certainly for consumers and for your team members, but ease is not the goal,” Mathews explained. “For Taco Bell, it’s really about fandom and growth. It's got to be more than easy; it's got to be memorable. And I think for me, creating space for differentiation and being memorable is the most likely path, but it's not a straightforward path. It is an iterative path. But I think being memorable is the secret to success in the marketplace, and certainly has been the secret sauce [for Taco Bell].”
Too little friction creates slippery experiences, Jackson noted. It can lead to higher returns, lower commitment, and weaker attachment. The right friction creates meaning and resonance, especially for consumers (or fans) who have already raised their hand, indicating that they want to engage more meaningfully with the brand.
Key takeaway: Optimization without emotional intent leads to sameness. Memorability is now a strategic KPI.
Rule 2. Technology should elevate human capabilities and experiences
Mathews draws a sharp line between what technology should do and what humans should do.
In Taco Bell restaurants, technology helps mitigate back-of-house complexity. Team members must manage mobile ordering, third-party delivery services, drive-thru demand, and more, making their job extremely difficult.
“The first question is, how does technology help make our team members’ jobs easier? That's so important, not because we're trying to create easy jobs, but because the second important thing is we know our team members, at the end of the day, actually want to deliver a great experience to our fans and our guests. Technology does have a very good role and a strong role in ease and efficiency, but it is meant to unleash their natural superpower and deliver something far more memorable for the brand.”
Taco Bell’s ConnectMe feature, which allows customers to integrate their mobile app with the drive-thru screen, also creates a clear throughline for employees to access customer data. These capabilities are especially valuable for employees to create moments of surprise and delight for the brand’s most loyal customers. For instance, after one customer integrated her mobile app and redeemed her birthday reward, the team gathered at the pickup window to sing “Happy Birthday” to her. A transactional moment became a loyalty lever, and Mathews loved the story so much that he turned it into a new experience that will launch this year.
“In a world filled with technology, it really is about humans,” Mathews said.
Key takeaway: The most powerful use of technology is hidden, freeing human teams to deliver what machines cannot.
Rule 3. Stay true to your forces of value
Mathews noted that his comment about there only being “one Taco Bell” was born “out of humility, not hubris.” Mainly because he inherited two things that were “quite special: a group of consumers who wanted to be seen, felt, and closer to the brand, and Taco Bell’s food heritage.
“The shoulders I stand on are Taco Bell’s food heritage, and my peer, Liz Matthews,” Mathews said. “I stand on the shoulders of giants in this regard. We are an innovative brand, certainly locked in value, but we’re trying to transcend the price-point narrative. I draw a lot of inspiration from our food innovation side.”
Used in tandem, these forces have helped Mathews and Taco Bell, more broadly, cultivate an innovation mindset that enables the brand to create and iterate faster than ever before.
“It’s not about the perfect widget, or the perfect experience,” Mathews said. “It’s actually about creating an innovative spirit; leaning in and being curious, launching, learning, and relaunching. That’s the secret sauce for Taco Bell.
Key takeaway: Taco Bell’s success stems from a deep understanding of the brand and the team's cultural identity. Tap into these traits to drive all decisions.
Rule 4. Loyalty Is a Multiplayer Experience
Consumers no longer want to simply consume brands. They want to participate in them. This idea was the basis for Future Commerce’s book, The Multiplayer Brand.
Taco Bell’s Fan Style experience turns customers into co-creators: fans customize menu items, name them, share them, and earn rewards when others order their creations. It’s user-generated content reimagined as product innovation. This “multiplayer brand” dynamic mirrors what we see in platforms like Minecraft or LEGO Ideas: the value lies in the reciprocal cycle of creating, sharing, and appreciating.
“Fan Style really leans into what we know is true about our loyal fans, which is that they really like to create their own food creations. So we decided to celebrate it,” Mathews said.
Mathews takes pride in his own creation, a spicy taco called Mine’s Hotter Than Yours. Jackson’s creation? An amalgamation of meat called Protein Bomb.
Key takeaway: Loyalty platforms that reward only spending miss the bigger picture. The future belongs to brands that reward participation.
The Biggest Takeaway: Know Your Muse
The underlying intent of the discussion wasn’t necessarily to offer Taco Bell’s tactical playbook. Rather, it was a dialogue to break down the company’s culture and how each individual orients around the company's north-star mission and their true muse: the fan.
In an era of AI-mediated commerce, brands that design for participation, memory, and human expression will endure.
Commerce isn’t just about infrastructure anymore. It’s about culture, community, and belonging.
In a retail landscape obsessed with speed, seamlessness, and automation, Taco Bell is focused on building something more durable: an ecosystem designed for culture, community belonging, and fandom.
For Dane Mathews, Global Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Taco Bell, all investments and strategic decisions ladder back to one reality: “there’s only one Taco Bell.” He had a wide-ranging conversation with Phillip Jackson, Co-Founder and CEO of Future Commerce, to break down the company’s approach to innovation, and how fan and team member experience always intersect.
Below is a glimpse into Mathew’s playbook, which is motivating the Taco Bell community to “live más.”
Rule 1. Don’t let seamlessness supersede memory
“Seamless” has become the default promise of modern commerce. But sometimes, the quest for seamlessness overtakes the fundamentals of good service, which hinges on authentic connection and belonging.
For Taco Bell, memorability is the real objective.
“I think ease is really important, certainly for consumers and for your team members, but ease is not the goal,” Mathews explained. “For Taco Bell, it’s really about fandom and growth. It's got to be more than easy; it's got to be memorable. And I think for me, creating space for differentiation and being memorable is the most likely path, but it's not a straightforward path. It is an iterative path. But I think being memorable is the secret to success in the marketplace, and certainly has been the secret sauce [for Taco Bell].”
Too little friction creates slippery experiences, Jackson noted. It can lead to higher returns, lower commitment, and weaker attachment. The right friction creates meaning and resonance, especially for consumers (or fans) who have already raised their hand, indicating that they want to engage more meaningfully with the brand.
Key takeaway: Optimization without emotional intent leads to sameness. Memorability is now a strategic KPI.
Rule 2. Technology should elevate human capabilities and experiences
Mathews draws a sharp line between what technology should do and what humans should do.
In Taco Bell restaurants, technology helps mitigate back-of-house complexity. Team members must manage mobile ordering, third-party delivery services, drive-thru demand, and more, making their job extremely difficult.
“The first question is, how does technology help make our team members’ jobs easier? That's so important, not because we're trying to create easy jobs, but because the second important thing is we know our team members, at the end of the day, actually want to deliver a great experience to our fans and our guests. Technology does have a very good role and a strong role in ease and efficiency, but it is meant to unleash their natural superpower and deliver something far more memorable for the brand.”
Taco Bell’s ConnectMe feature, which allows customers to integrate their mobile app with the drive-thru screen, also creates a clear throughline for employees to access customer data. These capabilities are especially valuable for employees to create moments of surprise and delight for the brand’s most loyal customers. For instance, after one customer integrated her mobile app and redeemed her birthday reward, the team gathered at the pickup window to sing “Happy Birthday” to her. A transactional moment became a loyalty lever, and Mathews loved the story so much that he turned it into a new experience that will launch this year.
“In a world filled with technology, it really is about humans,” Mathews said.
Key takeaway: The most powerful use of technology is hidden, freeing human teams to deliver what machines cannot.
Rule 3. Stay true to your forces of value
Mathews noted that his comment about there only being “one Taco Bell” was born “out of humility, not hubris.” Mainly because he inherited two things that were “quite special: a group of consumers who wanted to be seen, felt, and closer to the brand, and Taco Bell’s food heritage.
“The shoulders I stand on are Taco Bell’s food heritage, and my peer, Liz Matthews,” Mathews said. “I stand on the shoulders of giants in this regard. We are an innovative brand, certainly locked in value, but we’re trying to transcend the price-point narrative. I draw a lot of inspiration from our food innovation side.”
Used in tandem, these forces have helped Mathews and Taco Bell, more broadly, cultivate an innovation mindset that enables the brand to create and iterate faster than ever before.
“It’s not about the perfect widget, or the perfect experience,” Mathews said. “It’s actually about creating an innovative spirit; leaning in and being curious, launching, learning, and relaunching. That’s the secret sauce for Taco Bell.
Key takeaway: Taco Bell’s success stems from a deep understanding of the brand and the team's cultural identity. Tap into these traits to drive all decisions.
Rule 4. Loyalty Is a Multiplayer Experience
Consumers no longer want to simply consume brands. They want to participate in them. This idea was the basis for Future Commerce’s book, The Multiplayer Brand.
Taco Bell’s Fan Style experience turns customers into co-creators: fans customize menu items, name them, share them, and earn rewards when others order their creations. It’s user-generated content reimagined as product innovation. This “multiplayer brand” dynamic mirrors what we see in platforms like Minecraft or LEGO Ideas: the value lies in the reciprocal cycle of creating, sharing, and appreciating.
“Fan Style really leans into what we know is true about our loyal fans, which is that they really like to create their own food creations. So we decided to celebrate it,” Mathews said.
Mathews takes pride in his own creation, a spicy taco called Mine’s Hotter Than Yours. Jackson’s creation? An amalgamation of meat called Protein Bomb.
Key takeaway: Loyalty platforms that reward only spending miss the bigger picture. The future belongs to brands that reward participation.
The Biggest Takeaway: Know Your Muse
The underlying intent of the discussion wasn’t necessarily to offer Taco Bell’s tactical playbook. Rather, it was a dialogue to break down the company’s culture and how each individual orients around the company's north-star mission and their true muse: the fan.
In an era of AI-mediated commerce, brands that design for participation, memory, and human expression will endure.
Commerce isn’t just about infrastructure anymore. It’s about culture, community, and belonging.
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