When momentum stalled on a grassroots initiative, Taco Bell brought in The Sheppard Group to revitalize the vision and reconnect with the local community. What began as vendor support quickly evolved into a multi-platform campaign to uplift entrepreneurs, celebrate LA street food culture, and build brand relevance at the hyperlocal level.

We partnered with the Ave 26 Family Night Market, Revolution Carts, and the Taco Bell Foundation to help relaunch and reimagine the market, bringing health-compliant, street-legal food carts to dozens of vendors and creating pop-up events that felt joyful and inclusive. From event production to community logistics, we managed the full experience: coordinating with vendors, working with fire marshals and health departments, designing cart wraps, and planning an open-air night market that drew a powerful crowd. The result was a vibrant celebration of Latinx street food and family business rooted in neighborhood pride and made visible to the whole city.

Our story earned coverage from Univision, CBS New LA, NBC 4, Telemundo, and the Los Angeles Times, turning the night market into a regional headline. These placements helped shift perception and positioned our client as a supporter of real community entrepreneurship.

To amplify the final Night Market activation, we launched a bilingual digital campaign across paid social and display channels planning, designing, and optimizing every element in under a week. The strategy focused on relatability: meme-style visuals, bilingual voice, and food-forward creative that reflected the real community.

The results:
• 960,000+ impressions across paid social and display
• 4,000+ website visitors, a 789% increase in traffic
• 99% were new users, confirming strong audience acquisition
• 400+ new Instagram followers for Ave 26
• Ads reached 21 culturally aligned neighborhoods across LA

We earned trust by showing up with content that looked and sounded like the community itself. The result was an integrated digital and community-first campaign that positioned Taco Bell as a trusted supporter in the places that matter most.