Taco Bell Partners with Mars Inc to Launch Strawberry Starburst Freeze

Taco Bell is no stranger to lucrative partnerships – just look at the Doritos Locos Taco or the Baja Blast. Of course, partnerships with PepsiCo brands like Doritos or Mountain Dew come as no surprise considering that Taco Bell itself was also owned by PepsiCo as recently as the 1990s. But today, the franchise is branching out with the launch of a new entry in its Freeze beverage line that forges a partnership with a brand from confectionery corporation Mars Inc: Starburst.

The Yum Brands-owned franchise managed to keep the testing phase of its new Freeze flavor relatively under wraps, avoiding a lot of press despite some sightings in test markets. But on Wednesday afternoon Taco Bell took to social media to announce the Thursday nationwide launch of its new Starburst Strawberry Freeze, anticipating consumer reaction with the caption: “it's okay, you can freak out now.”

Only one flavor of Starburst Freeze has been launched so far, but consumers who are bigger fans of Starburst Lemon or Cherry flavor probably shouldn’t despair just yet – after all, PepsiCo has a much more solid history with Taco Bell and yet they only started with one flavor of Doritos Locos Taco as well. If the consumer reaction (read: sales) is robust enough, it seems likely that Taco Bell will maximize its popularity by expanding the line with new flavor options as it did with the tacos.

There’s also no word yet on whether the Starburst Strawberry Freeze is a limited time offer, but that’s probably another factor that will depend a lot upon consumer reactions. Time and revenue will tell.