It's been almost a year since the onset of Chipotle’s food-borne-illness crisis. The brand continues to struggle to assure customers that it’s safe to eat at its restaurants. Its latest gambit to revive sales and its reputation: a campaign launched Sept. 21 showcasing its new food-safety initiatives.
The campaign is anchored by a video in which CEO Steve Ells enumerates Chipotle's new safety measures.
Chipotle Delivers on Food Safety. Watch Chipotle founder Steve Ells explain the program. pic.twitter.com/pVoxdCFadl
— Chipotle (@ChipotleTweets) September 21, 2016
In the many months since its E. coli outbreak and the subsequent cleanup, Chipotle has made several attempts to rebuild trust in the brand. The release of the short video, “A Love Story,” did little to divert attention away from E. coli. Not even free burritos could bring the masses back into its restaurants.
The new campaign meets customers' fears head-on, a smart move that might have appeared bolder had it launched sooner. Instead of attempting to shift conversations about the brand away from food-borne illness and toward sunnier themes, the brand could have come out with this messaging much earlier. You can’t change the conversation about a brand without first addressing what people are talking about right now.
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