We all remember our awkward first kiss stories, full of nervousness and rapid heartbeats. Based on “First Kiss,” the new 30-second ad in the Taco Bell Live Mas campaign that came through the tips line, we can now add sticky fingers and spicy breath to the list of uncomfortable descriptors.

Mixing Doritos Locos Tacos and kisses may not seem like the best idea, but this spot might strike the right cord for those who value some teenage sentimentality and John Hughes movies. Associating Taco Bell with cuteness is a tough trick to pull off, you know, with the greasy smells and penchant for attracting drunk college guys as a significant customer base, but Deutsch LA and director Zach Math found a way to pull it off. Taco Bell seems to have tapped the right nerve with Doritos Locos Tacos: the product helped create 15,000 new jobs. Maybe the company can use the profits to provide complimentary mouthwash with any purchase, so young lovers who want to make out in Taco Bell parking lots can have pleasant memories.

Credits after the jump.

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Alas, there are no “T-shirt uniforms” to hammer home the message of individuality in this latest Dr. Pepper campaign from Deutsch LA, which is now eschewing grandiose productions and blockbuster cross-promotions to instead focus on real people, real stories. The above spot, dubbed “One in a Billion” (title track courtesy of the Vinyl Hearts), should give you the basic gist of how the agency’s ongoing “Always One of a Kind” campaign for the soda brand is evolving.

The heartwarming, human interest angle is one that’s been tread on aplenty, but it’s a somewhat interesting detour considering that at the end of the day, all agency and client are doing are selling soda. Will it take this year? Who knows, but in the meantime, check out out two specific stories, one focusing on a model-turned-boxer and the other a mother of five/roller derby queen along with credits after the jump.

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The snark well hath runneth dry for a moment so let’s just say Brett Craig has now joined the Dr. Pepper group at Deutsch L.A. as GCD following a similar stint at TBWA\Chiat\Day, where he played a senior creative role on the then-existing Call of Duty biz (remember this?) as well as Tostitos and Pepsi. Craig, in fact, spent most of his career at Chiat, initially joining in 2000 and moving up the ladder from copywriter to ACD to group creative director, spearheading creative work for other accounts including Sirius XM, Energizer, Ballpark Franks and Nissan in the process.

You might remember Craig from his contributions to Pepsi’s “Refresh Everything” campaign as well as this peculiar Will.I.Am./Bob Dylan Super Bowl ad mashup for the soft drink giant.