Chris Brandt runs marketing at Chipotle. He turned the place upside down in the best way. No boring ads. No fake smiles. Just real food and real fun. Under him, Chipotle acts more like a cool friend who shows up with great stories than a giant fast-food chain. And honestly, in a world full of the same old burger ads, that feels fresh.
Marketing with Purpose: Chipotle as a Real Restaurant
Brandt always starts with the kitchen. Not the boardroom. He talks about crew members rolling in at 6 a.m. Chopping onions. Squeezing limes by hand. Grilling chicken without shortcuts. “Chipotle is a real restaurant that happens to be fast,” he says. That’s the whole trick.
They only use 53 ingredients. Normal stuff. Tomatoes, rice, beans, cilantro – things you’d find in your own fridge. Nothing with 20 syllables. That simple list lets them do wild things in ads. Because the food can back it up. No need to hide behind cartoon mascots or fake prizes. The burrito does the talking.
Innovative Campaigns: Taking Risks to Stand Out
The Spelling Bee that went viral
Remember the Chipotle Spelling Bee? Kids stood on stage in little bee costumes. They spelled “avocado” and “jalapeño” no problem. Then they tried stuff from other chains – “disodium inosinate” or “dimethylpolysiloxane.” Total wipeout. Everyone laughed. But the point stuck: Chipotle keeps it real.
What started as a TikTok joke blew up. They took it to movie theaters before previews. People cheered louder for the kids than the trailers. Simple idea. Huge win. No big budget. Just truth told in a funny way.
Flash Tattoos on Friday the 13th
Then there was the tattoo day. Adam Levine played the Super Bowl shirtless in 2019. Someone tweeted his torso looked like Chipotle’s old bag art. The meme exploded. Brandt saw it and thought, “Let’s roll.” Friday the 13th came. Tattoo shops were already packed. Chipotle dropped free limited tattoos – foil design, lime, pepper. One hour only.
Lines went around the block. 102 million social impressions. 9.2 billion in earned media. That’s billions with a B. All because they jumped on a joke fast. No long meetings. Just “yes, let’s do it.”
Cultural Relevance: Tapping Into Communities and Moments
Brandt doesn’t chase every trend. He looks for “big niches.” Groups that already love Chipotle. Hockey parents waiting at rinks. Street Fighter kids at tournaments. Tattoo lovers. Farmers’ market crowds.
They showed up at Evo – the biggest fighting-game event. Gave out free burritos. Ran a show-match with pro players. Crowd lost their minds. Same at tattoo conventions. Or minor-league hockey games. Places where people already feel at home. Chipotle just joins the party instead of crashing it.
One hockey mom told me her son only eats Chipotle before games now. Calls it his “good luck bowl.” That’s the kind of quiet loyalty money can’t buy.
Balancing Innovation with Discipline: A Focus on What Works
Brandt says trying stuff is easy. Knowing what to keep is hard. They test tons of ideas. Some flop. Like that one Roblox thing that felt forced – they killed it quick. Others catch fire. Those get more money.
Every campaign gets scored. Sales lift. Social buzz. Foot traffic. If it works, they double down. If not, next. No hurt feelings. Just numbers and gut.
He hates the word “viral” when people chase it for no reason. “We don’t make noise to make noise,” he told a room full of marketers last year. “We make noise when it means something.”
Sustained Brand Storytelling: Building Long-Term Connections
The flashy stuff gets attention. But the quiet films keep people around.
Back to the Start in 2011 – Willie Nelson singing Coldplay over animation about factory farms. Won awards. Made grown adults cry in their cars.
A Future Begins followed a young girl learning to farm. Human Nature showed scarecrows dancing. Unfolded told the whole Chipotle story on one long napkin. Each one cost real money. None sold a burrito directly. But they built trust. People started saying “I only eat Chipotle because I know where the food comes from.”
That trust lets them get away with Spelling Bees and tattoo days. Because underneath the jokes, people know Chipotle isn’t faking it.
The Future of Chipotle’s Marketing: Staying Ahead Without Losing Core Values
Brandt says the next big ideas will come from fans. Not agencies. Kids who grew up on Chipotle. Crew members behind the line. TikTok creators who already film their orders.
They already run “Chipotle lid flip” challenges. Or “extra rice no judgment” memes. Brandt watches those. Picks the best. Turns them into real campaigns.
Whatever comes next, the rule stays the same: start with real food. Stay funny when it fits. Show up where fans already hang out. Don’t act like a boring corporation.
Chipotle’s Rebel Marketing Strategy
Chipotle under Chris Brandt proves you don’t need clowns or kings to sell food. Just good ingredients and good ideas. They poke fun at the industry. Jump on memes. Support small communities. Tell long stories about farming. And somehow it all feels like one brand.
In a sea of sameness, Chipotle looks different. Tastes different too. That’s not an accident. That’s the plan. And it’s working.
