- With the latest iteration of its “Behind the Foil” campaign, Chipotle is getting real with its first campaign under new Chief Brand Officer Fernando Machado.
- The new campaign, also a first from Chipotle’s new agency, KIDS, is built from footage captured by 100 content creators inside the QSR chain’s stores.
- The footage is meant to shift the chain’s marketing perspective from the brand’s point of view to that of people experiencing the kitchens firsthand. The footage, shot during morning prep at a variety of its stores, captures the work that goes into preparing the menu’s ingredients.
A 30-second commercial lays out the campaign’s premise, showing several creators donning aprons and gloves to begin working in a Chipotle kitchen. “Chipotle is gatekeeping nothing,” one says, before footage cuts to several different creators chopping tomatoes, mashing avocados, grilling chicken and flavoring chips. The spot concludes with the creators rewarding themselves with lunch for their work. “It tastes even better because it was made by yours truly,” says one as the spot ends.
The creator pool extended beyond the traditional food-oriented influencer, including individuals such as potter Emme Zhou, domino artist Lily Hevesh, and stop-motion animator Ben Treat. The work also inspired those creators to develop pieces in their respective milieus to reflect the Chipotle experience.
The campaign will run on national television, TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. In addition, the campaign launches this week, the participating creators (who collectively have more than 100 million followers) will share the content with their audiences, as will the brand.
“Real today is defined by many voices, not just by what a brand says about itself,” said Machado, in a statement. “This is the first time in my career I’ve made a campaign without knowing exactly what the outcome would be. It takes a lot of trust to give up that control, but there’s power in leaving room for the unexpected. We gave 100 creators the freedom to capture what they found compelling and let their perspectives shape the work.”
Machado officially joined Chipotle on June 1 as chief brand officer. In the role, Machado has been tasked with leading the company’s global marketing strategy, brand positioning and customer engagement. Prior to joining Chipotle, Machado spent more than seven years as Chief Marketing Officer at Restaurant Brands International, where he oversaw marketing for brands including Burger King, Popeyes and Tim Hortons. Prior to that, Machado spent 18 years at Unilever and was Chief Marketing Officer at Activision Blizzard.
