Taco Bell is proficient at using social media to drive demand. America's beloved low-price Tex-Mex fast-food chain is a formidable social media marketer because it creates and curates user focused and user-generated content tailored to each platform. The chain manages accounts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn along with monitoring emerging social platforms. It even created an in-house think tank called the "Center for Social Excellence" at company headquarters in Irvine, California. Its core social media team maintains a content calendar with enough structure to maintain continuous engagement and enough flexibility to capitalize on spur-of-the-moment activity as the need arises. The team routinely solicits input from other employees. According to Ad Age, Taco Bell's social media dominance drives their better-than-average yearly sales growth. While rewarding followers with coupons and incentives is not new, Taco Bell uses social media to generate anticipation for and increase trials of new products such as the Cool Ranch & Fiery Doritos® Locos Tacos, Mexican Pizza, and Nacho Fries. When it was first introduced, the Cheez-It Tostada sold out in one week.

What role does Taco Bell’s social media play in making the brand resilient to shocks in the marketing environment, like economic downturns and pandemics?