Try "Protein" Instead of "Meat" at Taco Bell

Meat has gotten a bad reputation. Pink slime and horse meat controversies during the past two years have compounded meat's negative image. Taco Bell is catching on and, instead, is emphasizing protein on its new menu.

Although CEO Greg Creed did an impressive job in 2011 thwarting claims that Taco Bell doesn't use real beef, the restaurant chain needs to find new ways to get people to eat the stuff that, let's face it, isn't the healthiest for us. A Bloomberg Businessweek article reports, 

"43 percent of conversations about 'meat' over the last six months were negative and often included such words as 'bad,' 'concerns,' and 'problem.'

"On the other hand, only 6 percent of conversations about 'protein' were negative. Most people associated it with words like 'good,' 'healthy,' and 'delicious.' The result: Some 91 percent of conversations about the 'Power Protein' menu have been positive, according to Infegy."

To be fair, Taco Bell is doing more than just changing the terminology. Its "Power Protein" menu offers several products with reasonable calorie counts (although 120 of those 400 calories are from fat).

Discussion Starters:

• In addition to "meat," what other fast-food-related words might cause people to react negatively?
• What's your assessment of Taco Bell's new campaign? Whom might it attract? Will it work?