As it launches its first digital-only customizable menu option, Chipotle Mexican Grill is targeting those who spend a lot of time online: gamers.
The quick-service brand has enlisted gaming and esports talent for a weeklong promotion of sponsored streams and giveaways. Chipotle is already a much-discussed brand among gaming streamers, so using the platform as a means to launch the digital-only product was a natural fit, said Scott Robinson, senior manager of brand marketing at Chipotle.
“This is a digital-first product, and they are a digital-first audience,” Robinson said. “There’s a lot of existing organic communication for Chipotle among these consumers, we wanted to meet them where they are.”
Beginning on Thursday, March11, esports and gaming notables began hyping the new menu item on their channels, offering codes for audience members to order a free quesadilla via this app. The brand enlisted a broad spectrum of streamers, such as StarSmitten, NadeShot, Rizzo, choco Taco, Kitboga, who represent a wide variety of games including Valorant, Call of Duty, and Rocket League Championship Series.
“We wanted to get this to scale, but we didn’t want to overlap our audiences,” Robinson said. The common denominator between the streamers is their authenticity as Chipotle enthusiasts, particularly for an audience notorious for sussing out inauthentic brand sponsorships, he said.
“We take this audience very seriously; you want them to be comfortable with the promotion,” Robinson said. “One of the important things is that we are partnering with authentic fans of the brand. NadeShot has been talking about Chipotle on his streams for years.”
Over the course of the weeklong promotion, the streamers will give away 30,000 unique codes for audience members to order a free quesadilla. “Getting people to try something brand new isn’t easy, though this idea is pretty clearly something consumers have been asking for,” Robinson said.
The quesadilla is the brand’s first new customizable menu option in 17 years (since the company introduced salads), and is the first to launch as a digital-only option. Offering the product through the chain’s “Digital Kitchen” enables restaurants to keep their in-store lines moving without disruption, Robinson said. It also continues Chipotle’s digital-first strategy, which became a key driver of the brand’s sales and marketing during the pandemic.
“Taking it off the line enables us to get this out to customers right away,” Robinson said. “We’re always looking to grow the digital business and rewards program, so to have something that drives customers to the digital experience will be good for us.”
