Chipotle’s latest national ad campaign doesn’t use any footage the brand shot itself. The chain sent 100 content creators into more than 50 restaurants across the U.S., U.K. and Canada during morning prep, and built TV spots and short-form videos entirely from what they recorded, the company announced Aug. 31.
The campaign extends Chipotle’s “Behind the Foil” platform and supports two limited-time items: a reformulated Pollo Asado and new Chili Lime Chips. Creators worked alongside crew members grilling chicken, seasoning chips, slicing vegetables and mashing guacamole, with no scripts or shot lists. Chipotle said they captured 345 hours of footage. There was also no traditional director or production company managing the shoot.
It’s the first national campaign from chief brand officer Fernando Machado, who joined Chipotle in June after building a reputation for disruptive work at Burger King parent Restaurant Brands International, Marketing Dive reported. It’s also the first major work from new agency partner KIDS.
“Real today is defined by many voices, not just by what a brand says about itself,” Machado said in the release. “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.”
Beyond food creators
The roster deliberately goes beyond food influencers. Potter Emme Zhou made a ceramics piece inspired by Chipotle’s chips and dips. Domino artist Lily Hevesh turned morning prep into a domino sequence. Stop-motion animator Ben Treat reworked burrito building as claymation, and food artist Alissa Teo recreated a steak burrito bowl in rice art.
The creators have more than 100 million followers combined. They began posting their own versions on Aug. 31, and the edited work runs on national TV, TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Marketing Dive said the 30- and 15-second spots pair a chorus of creators saying “fresh” with lines like “Chipotle is gatekeeping nothing.”
“We wanted to take the visual language people experience every day in their social feeds and bring it to national television without polishing away what makes it feel credible,” said Icaro Doria, founder and chief creative officer of KIDS.
The timing matters. Marketing Dive noted that Chipotle is pushing its freshness message during a summer of foodborne-illness scares across the restaurant industry. Earlier in August, Chipotle pulled some jalapeños from certain locations after a salmonella outbreak in Minnesota. Same-store sales rose 2.2% in the second quarter, the company’s best result in nearly two years.
For brand marketers, the campaign tests whether creator footage can work as the main national ad rather than a social add-on. Chipotle is paying for 100 creators’ perspectives and their built-in reach, and in exchange it gives up the control a traditional shoot provides.
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