Branding is one of the most
important foundations for building a successful company. It allows your company to properly
communicate its goals and objectives to its clientele, overall establishing an
identity. A strong and successful brand
can ultimately build customer loyalty for your company. Devising and implementing a branding strategy
is one of the hardest things to successfully tackle. Many companies have tried to develop a
positive identity and brand for their company but have missed the
mark. One company that has proven time and time
again to be extremely successful in building a strong brand is the Mexican
fast-food restaurant, Chipotle.
I am going to let everyone know
right now that I love Chipotle! I am the
epitome of a loyal Chipotle customer. I
have nothing against any of its competitors; I simply prefer Chipotle…and that
has to do with their extremely strategic branding plan.
If someone asked me why I
personally liked Chipotle so much, this would be my response: “It is a
healthier version of fast-food. The
ingredients are high quality, raised locally, and without hormones. Regardless of the line, I know my customized
meal will be ready in no time. The
environment is simple and open with a sense of positive energy running through
the building. Most importantly, my
experience is, without a doubt, consistent across the board.”
Chipotle’s tagline is “food with
integrity.” They pride themselves on
their sustainable foods, particularly their meats that are locally raised
without hormones or antibiotics and their produce, which is local and
organic. Chipotle goes above and beyond
to get this message and identity across to its customers by making it more than
just about the food. They give every
customer an experience, where they are hit with the brand at every touch point
of their process from entering the door to walking out the door. From a simple yet unique building, to fast
and personalized meals with friendly staff, to sustainable foods (which you
watch them cook in front of you!) Chipotle has learned to create
an experience for every individual.
There is an energy at every Chipotle that the customers seem to feed off
of. People do not spend their money and
continually return solely for the healthy food at affordable prices; they pay
for the experience.
Personally, I love everything
about Chipotle. I enjoy the experience,
I love the food (especially their burrito bowls!), and I love the
atmosphere. However, as we all know,
situations arise that can make it difficult to consistently provide excellent
service. Sometimes lines get long, food
can't be cooked fast enough, or mistakes are just made…this is inevitable. Chipotle has learned to deal with these issues
to prevent any change in the experience.
Sometimes, they even make it better!
For example, I have waited in line for my meal but the chicken was still
cooking. To make up for my wait,
Chipotle gave me my meal for free. I had
a similar experience where many people were
in line. The cashier went out of her way
to hand everyone a free large soft drink to make up for the wait. I could go on and on with stories about
fantastic experiences with Chipotle but it all comes down to the fact that
every time I enter that building of wood and rustic metal, I have a consistent
experience of quality. Ultimately, that
is the brand message and promise that Chipotle has built for everyone; consistent
quality and experience.
Steve Ells, Chipotle's CEO, favors simple, yet effective, Word of Mouth marketing. With such a great reputation and identity,
Chipotle has made marketing and branding that much easier for themselves. They have ultimately built a model where they
have consistently provided a one-of-a-kind experience that keeps me coming back
week after week! Try Chipotle out for
yourselves if you haven’t already to see what you think about the customer experience. We can all learn a thing or two from this
fantastic and successful business model.
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