Taco Bell Buys the Liberty Bell

On April 1, 1996, Taco Bell placed full-page ads in seven major US newspapers — including the New York Times and USA Today — announcing that they had purchased the Liberty Bell from the federal government as part of a corporate sponsorship program to help reduce the national debt. It would henceforth be called 'the Taco Liberty Bell.' The National Park Service phone lines were overwhelmed. Journalists called for comments. Congressional offices issued statements. The White House press secretary had to address it at a press briefing. Hundreds of thousands of Americans were genuinely outraged. At noon, Taco Bell revealed the joke — and simultaneously announced a real $50,000 donation to Liberty Bell preservation. The earned media was immeasurable.

The stunt worked because it used the most credible possible media (national newspaper ads, not press releases) to deliver the most incredible possible claim. The medium made it believable. The outrage was the entire point — a nation furious about a taco company touching their national monuments is a nation talking about that taco company.

25 million Americans heard about it within 24 hours — more than any Taco Bell ad in history. An estimated $25 million in free media from the 'news' coverage. Widely cited as the first major corporate April Fools' stunt and the template for every brand doing April Fools' Day ever since.