• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

2

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

3

Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less

1

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

2

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

3

Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
Retail

Chipotle Leans On Comedy For Biggest Ad Campaign Yet

By
John Kell
John Kell
Contributing Writer and author of CIO Intelligence
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
John Kell
John Kell
Contributing Writer and author of CIO Intelligence
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 10, 2017, 9:30 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Despite a rough 2016, Chipotle has maintained its sense of humor.

Its latest ad campaign, dubbed “As Real as It Gets”, features performances by four comedians in a bid to lure back diners via humor after a food-safety inspired exodus led to a prolonged sales slump. The ad campaign, which launched Monday, is the largest Chipotle has ever undertaken with media buys planned for national TV spots, online/social, print and radio. The majority of the planned spending will be for national TV.

“We’ve always been a brand that has had a well developed voice and a lot of that is based on humor,” Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing and development officer, told Fortune in an interview. “We have created these ads to reinforce the brand’s personality.”

The ad campaign, which features comedians like John Mulaney and a voiceover performance by actor Jeffrey Tambor, shows three comedians separately stepping into a massive burrito where “everything is real.” The comedians tell jokes, talk about their fictional husbands, and are essentially not acting real. Tambor (never seen in the spot) says they should be more “real” like Chipotle. The company’s marketing team is hopeful that viewers will enjoy the jokes—but also make the connection that the brand is a truthful one.

Chipotle has spent roughly a year and a half aiming to get control of the once-pristine image it had cultivated as a fast-casual purveyor that sold fresh ingredients that were tasty and healthier than rival fast-food fare. But management was criticized for bungling a response to the prolonged food-safety crisis that started in the fall of 2015, resulting in a 13% drop in sales for 2016. That was the first annual sales decline since Chipotle went public over a decade ago.

“During the events of late 2015 and 2016, our carefully crafted brand narrative was unfortunately replaced with talk about food safety,” Crumpacker said. “When customers talk about Chipotle, it is easy for them to say ‘Oh yeah, did you hear about the food safety issues?’ It is important as a brand to replace that narrative with our intended brand narrative.”

That intentional campaign is one that Chipotle says is based on humor and honesty. The tagline, “As Real as it Gets,” is a link to the chain’s recent announcement that the company doesn’t use any added colors, flavors or preservatives to prepare its food. That ingredient update represents the work the company put into removing additives and preservatives from tortillas used to make burritos, tacos and chips.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JECmSXz4nFE&feature=youtu.be

Throughout 2016, Chipotle relied on summer rewards program and a handful of other short-term promotions to try to lure back diners that were turned off by the food safety headlines. It ultimately wasn’t enough—traffic and sales slipped throughout the year, with trends only dramatically improving in December.

The company still intends to use promotions this year to help boost sales, but the national ad campaign will also likely be an important factor if Chipotle wants to deliver the “high-single digits” increase in sales at comparable restaurants that management has promised Wall Street for 2017.

Historically, Chipotle had spent between 1.5% to 1.6% of sales on marketing. This year, it will be around 3% when factoring in promotions and ad spending. Chipotle says the industry average is around 6% to 7% of sales, so it still is more judicious than many rivals. “But if we see results we like, we aren’t going to hesitate to spend more,” Crumpacker said, an indication more ad buying could occur if the campaign is a hit.

By hiring actor-comedians like Sam Richardson and Jillian Bell, Chipotle says it is doing something different how many other national restaurant chains advertise. Many ads tend to focus on limited-time offers or talk about how fresh the food is. “We aren’t doing either of those things,” Crumpacker said. “We are talking about real ingredients but doing it through a metaphor of being honest.” In fact, very few images of the food appears in Chipotle’s TV ads.

Sandwiched between the two traditional ad campaigns that are planned for this spring and fall, Chipotle is also cooking up some non-traditional advertising this summer. Those plans haven’t been disclosed, though as a reminder, last summer it launched a four-minute short film called “A Love Story” to coincide with the launch of a summer rewards program.

About the Author
By John KellContributing Writer and author of CIO Intelligence

John Kell is a contributing writer for Fortune and author of Fortune’s CIO Intelligence newsletter.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Retail

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Retail

A pedestrian walks past a Gucci luxury fashion store at a shopping district on June 24, 2026, in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China.
RetailLuxury
Rich consumers taking GLP-1s are rebuying their wardrobes and eating smaller, fancier dishes—it’s a factor saving the luxury sector right now
By Eleanor PringleJune 25, 2026
2 hours ago
Micron drives global rally tech stock rally as traders abandon their fear of an AI bubble
InvestingMarkets
Micron drives global rally tech stock rally as traders abandon their fear of an AI bubble
By Jim EdwardsJune 25, 2026
3 hours ago
Walmart’s $1.4 billion Vibe.co deal is a direct shot at Amazon’s booming ad business
Retailecommerce
Walmart’s $1.4 billion Vibe.co deal is a direct shot at Amazon’s booming ad business
By Phil WahbaJune 25, 2026
6 hours ago
A Viking ship named Havhingsten af Glendalough - the Sea Stallion of Glendalough -, the world's largest replica of a Viking warship, sets out 01 JUly 2007 from the Viking Museum in Roskilde, Denmark, on a voyage to Dublin in Ireland, where it is scheduled to arrive 14 August.
EuropeScience
1,000-year-old massive textile factory unearthed in Denmark—and it belonged to the Vikings
By James Brooks and The Associated PressJune 24, 2026
16 hours ago
How ‘Ozempic face’ is pushing Gen X, already the biggest Botox and filler consumers, to the facelift table a decade early
HealthGen X
How ‘Ozempic face’ is pushing Gen X, already the biggest Botox and filler consumers, to the facelift table a decade early
By Mia OsmonbekovJune 24, 2026
16 hours ago
Institute's Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton Hotel,on May 6, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
RetailSpaceX
Elon Musk was the world’s first trillionaire for 12 days
By Eva RoytburgJune 24, 2026
17 hours ago

Most Popular

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
Success
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 24, 2026
1 day ago
The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting
Economy
The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting
By Jacqueline MunisJune 24, 2026
1 day ago
Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
Retail
Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
22 hours ago
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
Asia
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
24 hours ago
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
Success
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 23, 2026
2 days ago
Trump’s international student crackdown kicked off a domino effect that could shave nearly $500 billion off the economy
Economy
Trump’s international student crackdown kicked off a domino effect that could shave nearly $500 billion off the economy
By Tristan BoveJune 24, 2026
19 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.