Chipotle CMO Chris Brandt’s #1 rule of marketing

Welcome to Marketer Must Read, a weekly newsletter that’s packed with inspiration, perspective on challenges, and a look at what other marketers are watching. Click?Subscribe?above to be notified of each edition.

Chris Brandt’s number one rule of marketing is “Don’t be lame.”?

It might sound simplistic, but it’s a principle that’s guided his career at Taco Bell, Coca-Cola, General Mills and now, the fast-casual restaurant Chipotle Mexican Grill.?

Since joining the company as the chain’s chief marketer three years ago, Brandt has tried to shift the brand away from its pun-filled past with sayings like “Guac on!” to something “smarter and a little more clever.”

“We wanted to make the brand more visible, more relevant and more loved,” Brandt says. “The key is finding the right things to play in.”

Under Brandt’s leadership, Chipotle has been louder about its purpose, launching its first tagline, “For Real,” to emphasize its use of real ingredients. Touting its mission to “Cultivate a Better World,” Chipotle also markets its commitment to sustainable farming.?

Yet much of the brand’s marketing falls squarely in the category of stunts.

For National Burrito Day in April, Chipotle gave away $200,000 in free burritos and bitcoin, or as Brandt put it, “two highly valuable assets.” He calls this the “Chipotle wink” in action — a culturally relevant stunt that fits the brand.?

And though Brandt says Chipotle always tries to be first when it comes to new technology or social platforms, he’s cautious when jumping on what’s hot.?

“If you're first, you got to be great,” he says. “There's nothing worse than a brand trying to force-fit itself into some kind of culture. I would rather do nothing than do something poorly.”

It’s become a riskier world for brands vying to keep up with the ever-moving world of pop culture.

“Marketing has never been harder,” Brandt says, and leading a retail brand is about constant reinvention. “You always have to be better.”

It’s just the “reality of being a CMO,” he says, “If you don't build sales today, you're not going to be around to build the brand for tomorrow.”

Being a CMO also means taking the heat when you’re in the news. Chipotle is no stranger to making headlines for its labor practices or its history on food safety. The brand recently raised menu prices to cover the cost of increasing workers’ wages, and Brandt says the pandemic was an opportunity to highlight its progress in safety.?

An oft-discussed aspect of the CMO job is how short the tenure can be.

Yet great marketing leadership is ultimately about conviction, Brandt says, pointing to the importance of believing in what you're doing.

“You have to do what you think is right,” he says. “Sometimes that goes against the grain, but if you're going to lose your job or come under fire, you better do it for what you want to do and not be afraid.”

Below, he shares more of his story.?

1. What has had the most impact on your perspective as a marketer?

My experience from CPG (General Mills and Odwalla/Coca Cola) to Restaurant Retail (Taco Bell, Bloomin’ Brands, and Chipotle) and the different variety of challenges encountered. The different things that have happened really give you a great perspective.?

2. What’s changed the most about your job as a marketer over the course of your career??

The rise of social media and the fragmentation of traditional media has created unique challenges in successfully reaching consumers.

3. What’s the hardest part of a marketer’s job today?

Figuring out the effectiveness of media across channels and allocating dollars efficiently and effectively to reach consumers. How much money to allocate and where is an increasingly complex issue as well as orchestrating the creative across channels to make it feel relevant but also cohesive. In addition, balancing short-term sales performance with longer-term investment in the brand is also a tough challenge.

4. Tell us about the marketing campaign you’re most proud of working on in your career.

The Chipotle “For Real” campaign. We created the “For Real” tagline, a first for Chipotle, in 2018. It was new, but the beauty of it is that it harkened back to the principles the brand was founded upon from the beginning. It also was a bit of a rally cry for our employees and was a signal that the brand is back growing and on the right track. The various creative that has come from this—“Behind the Foil” featuring our employees, “Real Foodprint” featuring our app that tracks how Chipotle is better for the planet than conventional ingredients down to your digital order, and “Can a Burrito Save the World” are all different--but they all track to the honesty and transparency that characterizes Chipotle, shows how we are different than every other brand in the category, and have really driven sales.

5. What’s a marketing campaign you wish you’d thought of and why?

Dos Equis's “Most Interesting Man in the World” campaign was very clever, highly entertaining, and also extraordinarily effective in driving brand awareness and sales for Dos Equis in an extremely tough category. I always looked forward to the new spots, and they did a great job in building the brand’s equity.

6. What’s your must read, watch or listen for all marketers?

“How Brands Grow: What Marketers Don't Know” by Byron Sharp. He dispels many marketing myths with facts.?If you only read one marketing book, this should be it!

7. What’s an under the radar brand you’re watching and why?

Maybe not under the radar, but I think the sports betting space will continue to grow (eg Draft Kings) and the CBD space is looking for a breakout player to become more mainstream.?

8. Name a product you can’t live without (that doesn’t connect you to the internet) and tell us why.

My watch—I always want to know the time, I enjoy the style/mechanics of them, and I just don’t feel right without one.

?9. Finish this sentence. If I weren’t a marketer, I would be…

A CFO. I started out my career in banking and finance and had I not gone into marketing, most likely would have stayed there. I wish I could say a rock star (but I have not musical abilities) or an artist (no artistic talent), but I do think my financial background has been a huge help in my marketing success over time in terms of understanding the numbers, particularly as the profession has become more analytical over time.

10. Finish this sentence: The marketer I most want to see do this questionnaire is…

Jae Goodman, CEO of Observatory

Thanks for being part of the Marketer Must Read community! Don’t forget to hit subscribe above or below to be notified weekly when the next issue comes out.