A couple of weeks late, right? There were three things that people seemed to talk about the day after the Grammy’s: Adele, Nicki Minaj, and the Chipotle ad. Seeing as I don’t have a ton to say about the first two, we’ll jump straight to the ad which you can view above.
Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way.
Running an ad that lasted as long as this did and one where a classic artist covers a song is surely going to get some attention at the Grammy’s.
But was it worth it?
If that Chipotle ad generated 1 new customer I’d be shocked.
— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) February 13, 2012
Our good friend Darren Rovell had the above tweet in reaction to it and, frankly, while he may be right, I’d argue that the ad was still a success.
You see, Rovell was focused on one thing and one thing only: driving new customers. That’s fine and everything, but as marketers, that is only one way that we can increase revenue. Not only can you increase the number of customers you have, but you can also increase the amount of money that each customer spends as well as how frequently they visit. It looks like the latter may have been what Chipotle was after here.
You see, when I list the following eateries, what comes to mind? Qdoba, Chipotle, Moe’s, Salsarita’s. Sure, you may have one that you favor. Maybe it’s the one closest to you, or the one that sends you coupons via e-mail, or the one that has $5 burritos on Monday’s. Apart from that, there isn’t anything that separates each brand from the others in the eyes of consumers.
This commercial; however, does just that. It gives burrito loving consumers something to embrace. Something to love about a brand. This is a characteristic and value that Chipotle has always embraced, but hasn’t necessarily been promoted to consumers on a large level. This is the sort of thing that can convince a consumer to visit Chipotle over the other restaurant.
So, well done Chipotle and here’s to an increase in the frequency of visits (and a resulting increase in revenue).
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
The problem with this post is that it assumes Darren Rovell is qualified to speak on anything. We’re talking about a guy that presumably takes Sports Media Challenge seriously as a viable business. The turnover there & the # of analysts that have departed vs. incoming business prove that’s laughable at best.
You got that exactly right, Jackie. This was a smart, if perhaps patronizing ad, and tells Chipotle consumers exactly what they want to hear. I’m sure it will bring in new customers, too, as long as they live up to their promise.