Every year, the Super Bowl brings out the best in American advertising — or sometimes the weirdest, but either way definitely the most memorable — in an attempt to make an impression on the millions of viewers tuning into the biggest sporting event of the year. Oftentimes that means obtaining high-profile celebrity endorsements, whether it be Cindy Crawford drinking a Pepsi or Betty White eating a Snickers. This year, Taco Bell will be using the tried-and-true celebrity endorsement strategy during Super Bowl 50 to call attention to its new (and very mysterious) product in an ad featuring Bryan E. Wilson, aka the Texas Law Hawk. But who is the Texas Law Hawk?
Wilson may not have the worldwide fame of a supermodel like Crawford, but he did reach a certain level of internet notoriety last year when his commercials went viral on YouTube. According to his website, after graduating from Texas Tech University School of Law summa cum laude, Wilson set up a practice in his hometown of Forth Worth and quickly made a name for himself, being honored by Forth Worth, Texas Magazine as the Top Attorney of Tarrant County in Criminal Law for both 2014 and 2015.
But what really drew attention to Wilson wasn't his legal prowess… it was his commercials. In them (and on his website), Wilson dubbed himself the "Texas Legal Hawk," complete with over-the-top patriotic imagery, purposefully hammy acting, and slogans shouted at the top of Wilson's lungs. The third commercial in the series was just posted to YouTube last October, and quickly amassed 1.5 million views:
So what product will this viral video sensation be hawking for Taco Bell during the Big Game? (Pun very much intended.) Nobody knows; not even the Texas Law Hawk himself, apparently. A teaser ad put out by the fast food chain in advance of the Super Bowl declares that, "Taco Bell's newest innovation is so top secret, even the people in the commercial don't know what it is." Cut to: Wilson, holding a block of green foam in his hands and doing his trademark shout, this time about Taco Bell's mysterious innovation.
"They're gonna fix it in post!"
"Law Hawk! This is good!"
"Don't know really what it is!"
The Texas Law Hawk will unveil whatever this earth-shattering "innovation" is sometime during Super Bowl 50— but if you're too impatient to wait, you can already preorder yours now… because what Taco Bell's menu really needed was even more mystery, amiright?
Images: Bryan Wilson/YouTube
