Taco Bell Continues To Be Creepy, Celeb Stalker Of Fast Food World. Latest Victim: Ted Leo.

In the advertising world, creatives are taught this simple test: if your brand were a person, how would it be received at a social gathering? In the case of Taco Bell, we’d say they’re fast becoming the zit-faced, trench coat-wearing, freak show sitting all alone in the corner of the lunchroom. Once again, they’ve been caught stalking quasi-celebs in an attempt to gain coolness with the kids. Fortunately, music blog Pitchfork unearthed a serious snafu in their latest contest:

Yesterday, we ran a story about how Ted Leo– along with Girl Talk, Enon, Blitzen Trapper, and several other musicians– had won a Taco Bell contest entitling them to $500 in free Taco Bell food. The information in the story came from a press release from Taco Bell themselves.

But it turns out someone forged Ted Leo’s entry with the cunning use of Gmail and Taco Bell announced the winner without verifying. Hmm…sounds about as well-baked as their Enchirito™. Says Ted in an email to Pitchfork:

We have contacted Taco Bell (that’s a sentence I never thought I’d have to type - ed.), and have found out that someone submitted an application from a G-mail address that is not ours (Heck of a job, G-mail!), so we have, in fact, been pranked, which, since Taco Bell is now removing our name from everything associated with this dumb-ass “Muy Caliente! Side Stage at the Altell Garden Party Pavillion” bullshit, I have to appreciate on some levels… but anyway, it was fake, we weren’t involved with Taco Bell, and now it’s over. Thank you for your participation!
Yo quiero the internet.

Another reason why Ted probably isn’t so happy with Taco Bell using his name is that he’s vegan, and a PETA spokesman.

D’oh. Well, it’s not like there’s any real meat in that stuff, anyway.

Ted Leo to Taco Bell: WTF? [Pitchfork]
Taco Bell(R) Fourthmeal Rocking, Rolling & Feeding the Beat [Yahoo!]
Earlier: Watchando: Collecting The Internet Backwash Just For You