Chipotle Mexican Grill Chides Parents Risks Kids Privacy

Bold marketing moves can garner positive results, however risking Children’s Online Privacy is not a bold marketing move it is a risky one according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

So when Chipotle announced that it is the first major restaurant brand to market itself on TikTok that is exactly what they have done according to Johnson. TikTok recently agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) after allegations that the app knowingly and illegally stored the names, email addresses, and locations of users under the age of 13. The fine was $5.7 million fine for collecting personal information about its pre-teen users.

While today Chipotle is popular with Gen Z—and the chain is reaping high user engagement numbers from its efforts with TikTok while many parents are unaware of the FTC violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).  The FTC continues to want more information on TikTok privacy usage.

TikTok, which started in China in 2017 and became the most downloaded app in the U.S. about a year ago, allows users to create and share short videos. It’s especially popular with those born between 1997 and 2012. Chipotle’s official presence on TikTok began after the chain noticed “organic” content about the brand frequently appearing on the app, said Tressie Lieberman, Chipotle’s vice president of digital marketing and off-premise.

The Newport Beach, Calif.-based chain first posted on the app last summer, when a Maryland Chipotle employee had a customer film a video of him flipping a lid from one of the fast-casual chain’s bowls. The video, which was originally posted to Instagram, has received more than 1 million views.

“We instantly knew from the reaction that this was the right content to start our first partnership with TikTok, inviting our customers to try the lid flip trick for themselves with a branded hashtag challenge,” Lieberman said.

So, is risking children’s customer privacy with Lieberman and Chipotle?  It would appear so.  Do you think that Chipotle should warn parents or the underage users of the risks of using TikTok? Is your brand prepared for the down side if TikTok were to continue gathering your kid’s app usage, interest, and online information for other purposes? Is this how you want to market to Kids?

Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how www.FoodserviceSolutions.us can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information

Chipotle’s Visceral Engagement Is a Good Idea

 When sales are lagging and adults are still steering clear of your front door long after you resolved heightened awareness of foodborne illness at select locations.  One thing is clear you need more education and communication targeted with a proactive message about your new and improved operating standards focused at adults as you begin cultivating GenZ.  

Well that’s just what Chipotle Mexican Grill has done with its new original video series ‘RAD Lands’ to help educate families and kids ages 7 to 10 about where their food comes from and how it is prepared.  Executives at Chipotle stated that “RAD Lands,” is available for download exclusively on iTunes. 

The GEnZ focused series features celebrity chefs, musicians, and YouTube personalities, parents and kids alike might know the ilk of Amanda Freitag, Michael Voltaggio, Duff Goldman, the Neon Trees, Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, and rapper Biz Markie. The video segments also include instruction on preparing snacks and meals. 

Mark Crumpacker, Chipotle chief marketing and development officer  stated “Chipotle is ensuring that better food is accessible to everyone,…We created ‘RAD Lands’ to educate young eaters and their parents about food in an entertaining and engaging way. We don't advertise to kids, so the show is completely unbranded. We hope that it sparks conversation and curiosity among families, ideally leading to smarter and more informed choices about food.” 

Crumpacker continued “RAD Lands” episodes feature an animated segment called "The Cultivators" that follows a small rebel squad’s journey to help save the galaxy’s plants and animals. Note: there is a charge for the series.  Season one is available exclusively on iTunes in the United States and Canada for $4.99. Alternatively, families can download the first episode for free, and the remaining five episodes for $1.99 each. 

As part of the “RAD Lands” launch and to support school lunches, Chipotle will donate $100,000 to the Chef Ann Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works with schools nationwide to provide the tools and resources they need to serve healthful and nutritious meals to students. 

To enhance the program’s reach to educators and students, Chipotle has partnered with Discovery Education, a leading provider of digital education content for K-12 classrooms, for RAD Lands In School. That online program for elementary students will launch later this spring, pairing “RAD Lands” episodes with lesson plans and activities.

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant Program Assessment, Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869