In an age where stadium names are up for grabs to corporate sponsors, it didn’t seem so far fetched to some when Taco Bell announced it had purchased a national treasure. In 1996, the fast food chain put ads in The New York Times and other publications to announce its purchase and renaming of the Liberty Bell to the Taco Liberty Bell. The National Historic Park in Philadelphia, where the Liberty Bell is kept, received thousands of calls before Taco Bell revealed the hoax.
Taco Bell got about $25 million in free publicity from the prank, thanks to press coverage, and its revenue jumped by about $1.1 million during the two days following the ad’s release.
