With customized Speedo, Taco Bell thrills one Facebook follower

It’s one thing for companies to say they’re listening to their fans in social media spaces, but the big challenge is actually doing something.

Taco Bell saw an opportunity to go beyond just listening when it granted the Facebook request of 15-year-old Fremd High School sophomore Ryan Klarner. Fremd is in Palatine, Ill., a suburb of Chicago.

In his Dec. 20 Facebook post, Klarner asked the fast food company for a Speedo swimsuit that says, “Think outside the buns,” a play on the company’s old slogan.

A customized Speedo from Taco Bell would, as Klarner said, “mean the world” to him. The teenager, who has broken diving records at his school, told the fast feeder that he eats at Taco Bell “5-7 times a week,” usually after a long day of working out.