Once upon a time, the national appeal of a show, a product, even a politician was forecast not by statistical formulas or advanced algorithms but by the simple show-biz maxim, "Will it play in Peoria?"
Illinois' now seventh-most-populated city was in fact the bellwether for the vast expanse of real estate between New York City and California, aka the rest of America, figuratively and literally.
Times have changed. And so has marketing.
Only a few months ago, it was Toledo -- not Peoria -- that guinea pigged a major new Taco Bell menu item, the Quesalupa, a quesadilla with melted pepper jack cheese stuffed inside a flaky shell and folded in half like a Taco, with seasoned meat, lettuce, cheddar cheese, reduced-fat sour cream, and tomatoes sandwiched in between.
As Taco Bell’s promotions noted, the Quesalupa was “only being tested in greater Toledo, Ohio, and if they don’t love it, the rest of America can’t have it.”
It was a highly specific marketing strategy that some in the industry considered “surprising.”
“I would think you would want to know if people in California or New England would want to know how the product is … and might react differently to a product,” said B.J. Fischer, director of strategic services with Thread Marketing Group in Toledo. “That’s why it’s surprising to me that they would only do it in one market.
Fischer also noted how unusually vocal Taco Bell was with its test marketing promotions.
“Normally they don’t go for as much publicity when test marketing something,” he said. “Usually they don’t want a community to know it’s a test market.”
In fact, most of us couldn’t escape the ubiquitous Billboards and radio and TV spots as part of the “Make it Happen, Toledo” campaign. Social media spread the word even further, as Taco Bell encouraged the Twitterverse to use #Quesalupa “and let Toledo know America is counting on them.”
Oh, they did.
"@tacobell Toledo, love the #Quesalupa, America is counting on you," and "@tacobell IF YOU MESS THIS UP, TOLEDO, YOU'RE PUTTING OHIO TO SHAME. #Quesalupa #Dayton.”
America can now relax.
Last week Taco Bell announced that Toledo overwhelmingly approved its Mexican food hybrid in "one of the most successful tests" in the company’s history, said Taco Bell spokesman Matt Prince.
That's the power of democracy — delicious, delicious democracy — in action. It's also not the first time northwest Ohio has participated in the menu item approval process for the Irvine, Calif.-based fast-food giant.
Only four years ago, the city was one of several test markets for Doritos Locos Tacos, now one of Taco Bell's most popular choices.
"Toledo is a great representation of the nation as a whole and accurately reflects large markets around the country," Prince said. "Utilizing one test market is not unusual -- especially in the case of the Quesalupa, where we saw an overwhelmingly positive response.
“We’re avid believers in the city’s motto: ‘You’ll do better in Toledo,’ ” he added. "It’s been a great starting point for some of our biggest products, including the Doritos Locos Tacos, and we look forward to their feedback on the many innovations to come from Taco Bell.”
As far as Taco Bell is concerned, Toledo is the new Peoria.
So how did our city become a bellwether?
For starters, Toledo is an average city. And when it comes to test marketing for the nation, average is best.
"Toledo is a very typical city and so we are very representational of what [is] happening in typical cities across the United States," said Lori Dixon, president of Toledo-based Great Lakes Marketing Research. "Our employment levels, education levels, and other important demographic variables are near which would be found in other areas.”
Great Lakes Marketing Research has been around for 50 years, which means Toledo has been a test market for at least that long.
At this point, Dixon said, pharmaceutical companies are her primary clients, but fast-food chains also prefer testing their culinary inventions in Toledo.
It’s a process that begins with consumers tasting, trying, and even holding the new food item.
"You have to learn a lot about the product and you continue to make it better," she said. "And then you do the test marketing."
The data gathered from those sample sessions is then collected, analyzed, and used to improve that product before it is released to the general public.
It's a lengthy process, but one in which Toledoans generously participate.
"We ask people to come to shopping malls and to come to our offices and test a lot of different things and they're willing to try," Dixon said, "which allows us to collect a lot of different information for a test product."
For those who would like to get involved in this process, she suggests signing up for the Great Lakes Marketing Research opinion panel at asktoledo.com.
Answer some online questions, be entered into Great Lakes Marketing Research database, and wait for them to contact you. Oh, those who participate in a research study are paid for their effort and “honest opinions.”
Who knows, you may determine the fate of the Taco-ritto. Or the Pizza-burger. Or even the pancake breakfast sandwich. (Too late. Sorry, McDonald’s.)
As the Quesalupa campaign told us, America is counting on Toledo, not Peoria.
#YouwilleatbetterinToledo #Toledo:TheNewPeoria
Contact Kirk Baird at kbaird@theblade.com or 419-724-6734.
First Published May 22, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
