Target Market of Chipotle Mexican Grill and Taco Bell

Chipotle Mexican Grill and Taco Bell are two food companies offering various Mexican-inspired foods, including tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, etc. Chipotle was founded in 1993, while Taco Bell was founded in 1962. At present, both companies have gained world fame. To understand the key to their success, let’s look at different marketing strategies these companies tend to implement.

To begin, let’s look at one of the campaigns of Chipotle Mexican Grill.

This one-minute commercial, titled “Can a Burrito Change the World?” features a young boy eating a burrito and simultaneously asking a lot of rhetorical questions.

A simple burrito is described as something that could make a massive difference in the world. The boy believes that it can even change how we plant and water things, grow, move or pick items.

The main purpose of the advertisement is to show that we should all be aware of where the food comes from and how it grows. The rhetorical questions of the boy seek to emphasize the fact that the food Chipotle Mexican Grill uses for its delicious products is environmentally friendly and can reduce carbon emissions, save water and even support local growers.

Besides, at the end of the commercial, the phrase “Chipotle for Real” comes up to the screen, making the viewer believe that the ingredients used for the company’s offerings are organic and not bad for one’s health.

Another important feature in marketing is the company’s communication strategy.

Now, let’s have a look at one of the slogans of Chipotle Mexican Grill

In 2001 the company adopted the slogan “Food with integrity” to describe its approach to sourcing and preparing ingredients. This slogan decided the founder Steve Ells, who learned about American food production. Ells wanted to serve food that was ethically and naturally produced. Starting from 2013, the company also instituted a no-GMO policy for its ingredients.

This phrase means that the food they produce/use is safe, authentic, and nutritious. Also, the way the food is produced is sustainable and to the highest ethical standards because they respect the environment where they are working (or taking the food from).

Chipotle had about 100 suppliers, and most of them are small-to-mid-sized regional companies, not large national firms. The company also sourced ingredients from local farms (within 350 miles of a given restaurant).

Once one gets the point of the slogan, one would trust the quality of the company’s offerings.

The last thing that we will be looking at regarding Chipotle Mexican Grill is the target segment that it has chosen.

For that purpose, let’s watch this commercial.

From the first part of the advertisement, nobody would guess that it will be about food; however, after watching the whole video, one gets the real message of it.

The commercial features a young lady Brooke Rabouto, the first American climber to qualify for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. The choice of this athlete is based on several factors, such as her overall personality, achievements, her preferences, and even the fact that she often visited or ordered food from Chipotle even after the campaign.

Brooke is someone who is self-focused and would stand out from the crowd. The choice of the profession, her lifestyle is what makes her different from others. While the commercial is not long, the viewer would surely understand that our hero follows a well-organized routine.

Besides, after listening to her, it becomes clear that she is one of those who do not believe in failure and would do everything not to give up and achieve their goals.

Choosing athletes as their main “heroes” is because Chipotle Mexican Grill announced a new initiative, “The Chipotle Menu,” which offers several dishes attributed to famous young athletes.

The primary purpose of the advertisement is to give all the fans a chance to eat like their favorite athletes and to start eating healthier. “Chipotle is proud to be an integral part of athletes’ training regimens across all levels,” said Chris Brandt, the company’s Chief Marketing Officer.

Chris also noted that they are “excited to share Team Chipotle’s stories and rally our fans around these elite competitors.”

From all this discussion, it becomes clear that as a target segment, Chipotle Mexican Grill has chosen the Peacocks.

Now, let’s learn more about this target segment.

Lifestyle and Values.

As we already noticed, the representatives of this target segment are usually self-focused and want to always stand out from the crowd. It can be seen in the places they go, the people who are around them. On the other hand, their self-focused attitude and confidence can be artificial.

Peacocks tend always to follow a well-organized routine which makes their life easier. It is also important to note that being a leader is an essential factor for them. Money is considered to be the primary measurement of success.

These people enjoy being surrounded by their friends, going to different clubs and restaurants with them. Also, they care about their look a lot, so they always take care of themselves by going to the gym, spa salons, etc. In the case of Brooke, it is also seen in the choice of her profession.

When it comes to relationships, these people have a more traditional view: to have one long-lasting relationship.

The people representing this target segment are fond of watching TV. TV seems to be the most incredible way to be informed. What is more, Peacocks are considered to be on the top of TV users. While they are always “loyal” to TV, the Internet is a medium that can help them to always be in touch with their friends, family members, etc.

Attitude to shopping:

As the people of this target group take care of their looks a lot, they are always active in shopping.

Peacocks usually get their inspiration from different fashion magazines and start comparing themselves to the images of the magazines. Although they always choose the clothes according to their taste, the representatives of this target segment cannot stay indifferent to trends.

Now, it’s time to start the discussion about the second food company Taco Bell.

Let’s begin by analyzing one of its campaigns.

Taco Bell’s “Viva Young” campaign is one of the funniest and memorable commercials ever. The commercial features some old pensioners who are young at heart. These people enjoy the time of their lives, sneaking out of a retirement home, and being mischievous as teenagers.

At the end of the story, they appear at Taco Bell eating tacos and looking partied out. The main idea of the commercial lies in words “Viva Young.”

Viva is a Latin word, which means alive in English. So, the basic idea is that these older people feel young in the presence. From one point, the company wants to emphasize the fact that the people who buy food from Taco Bell are young and funny (at least in their hearts). From another point of view, the company wants to say that you will feel younger and more energetic if you take something to eat from Taco Bell.

Moving forward let’s understand the Taco Bell’s communication strategy.

Let’s have a look at one of the company’s slogans.

As a fast-food restaurant, the major components of Taco Bell are giant fast-food companies such as McDonald’s, Burger King, etc., so Taco Bell urges people to think outside of the box and try other dishes, which have unique tastes.

“Think Outside the Bun” means being more creative, not being like others, and thinking differently than the norm. So, we can conclude that uniqueness is one of the essential aspects of the company.

Now, it’s time to find out which group of people the company targets.

For that purpose, let’s watch this commercial.

Taco Bell welcomes the return of one of its famous offerings Nacho Fries with this cinematic-style commercial, which has some horror features. The main actor in the commercial are Joe Keery and Sarah Hyland.

This new commercial is promoting the Nacho Fries being back on the menu for a limited time. Nacho Fries are Taco Bell’s biggest hit, and because of COVID, many restaurants got closed; starting from the December of 2020, these friends were going to be back for a limited time.

The commercial features a young boy during the path to explore the thrilling journey of a Nacho Fry and his intensifying desire for Taco Bell’s most crave-able creation as the potato plot thickens.

The protagonist seems to be very devoted to his girlfriend. The way the people involved in the advertisement look is pretty simple. All of them are wearing clothes that will not make them different from the crowd and are also comfortable to wear.

With that being said, it becomes clear that the company has chosen Nesters as a target segment.

Now, let’s find more about this target segment.

Lifestyle and Values

• The representatives of this target segment always look for long-term relationships and try to find a partner who will live in harmony with their family.

• Even though these people love to spend their time with friends, family is one of the most important values for them, and they believe that no place will replace home.

• Gardening is usually on the list of their hobbies. They like to take care of the home because when everything is fixed at their houses, they feel better.

• People belonging to this target segment are not risk-takers. That is the reason why they prefer to choose jobs based on their stability than the salary.

• Instead, they would buy an outdated but proven technological device than buy a new model and understand they do not work.

• The representatives of this target segment usually are not into books and do not like readings. However, when they read, it is mostly about family, local issues, gardening, healthcare, etc.

• Nesters are average radio listeners and also like to get information from TV.

Brand Usage

• These people do not pay much attention to their looks, what is fashionable or not, so they always buy products and clothes for their comfortability and durability.

• In comparison to Peacocks, the representatives of this target segment are pretty shy, and they do not like to stand out from the crowd. That’s the reason why these people would rarely wear something that would grab others’ attention.

• They would rather buy domestic than foreign products. It is interesting to note that.

• Nesters are economical, so they are incredibly attentive to promotions and sales.

• Their shopping is always well-organized. If the shopping place is not very far from their place, they would instead go there with bikes than cars.

This post was about the marketing strategies of two leading food companies Chipotle Mexican Grill and Taco Bell. During the post, we took a look at the communication strategies, target segment, and two campaigns of both companies.

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