Before March 2020, approximately 20% of Chipotle’s sales were digital. But with a global pandemic shutting down in-restaurant dining rooms across the country, we knew that had to change, fast. So we took to social to get the word out about online ordering and delivery.
Within 48 hours of lockdown, Chipotle had devised a plan. Go live with a band performance, celebrity cameo, or influencer-led event every day at lunchtime to create a sense of community. Using Zoom and Instagram Live, we quickly turned Chipotle Together into a platform for artists and influencers. We held concerts with musical acts like Kaskade, Diplo, and Luke Bryan, streamed workout tutorials with sports stars like Rob Gronkowski, and even hosted a mindful meditation with Whole30 founder Melissa Urban. Over the course of three months, Chipotle Together became a platform for artists and VIPs to talk about Chipotle delivery, give free burritos away to their fans, and provide people with a way to connect over lunch in an extremely uncertain time. Turns out what our fans needed to escape the quarantine was Chipotle, together.
Overall, the top Chipotle Together events captured as many as 80,000 live viewers who stayed to watch over four hours of live content. Chipotle also gave away close to 50,000 free burritos over the course of the series. The campaign ultimately earned over 75 million potential social impressions and garnered more than 670 million media impressions, including 137 editorial articles in publications like Forbes, Adweek, AdAge, Yahoo! Lifestyle, Variety, Billboard and Delish. Most importantly, the activation helped drive a 216% year-over-year increase in digital sales for the quarter, turning Chipotle delivery into a go-to for many customers in the months of lockdowns that followed. As of Q4 2020 earnings, digital sales account for almost 50% of Chipotle’s total sales.
