Chipotle Taps 100 Creators for Its Newest National Ad Campaign

Chipotle

Chipotle enlisted 100 creators for the latest installment of its Behind the Foil campaign, focused on transparency and showing customers how its food is prepared. It sent a mix of food creators, artists, animators, and musicians to more than 50 Chipotle restaurants to work alongside crew members during the morning preparation of its new Pollo Asado and Chili Lime Chips.

Creators captured 345 hours of unscripted footage, which was used to produce three 30-second spots that will run across national TV, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok.

How Creators Are Giving Behind the Foil a Social-Native Twist

As the first national campaign under newly hired Chief Brand Officer Fernando Machado, Chipotle gives its longstanding brand platform a creator-first, social-native twist. Instead of relying on its typical documentary-style footage, the brand handed the cameras to creators, giving them the freedom to capture the preparation process without traditional scripts or shot lists.

With its 100-person roster, Chipotle also leans into the scale that many brands are chasing for their creator programs. But the diversity of the talent is just as interesting. Beyond typical food creators, Chipotle tapped artists, animators, and musicians who could bring different creative perspectives to the same story, helping the brand connect with different communities.

For example, stop-motion animator Ben Treat showcased the burrito-building process through claymation, while My Miniature Life recreated a Chipotle kitchen at dollhouse scale.

Creator Content Can Be the Foundation of a Brand Campaign

The campaign also highlights how creator content can be the foundation of a brand campaign, rather than a supporting element. More brands are expanding creator assets beyond organic social into TV spots, digital billboards, and other channels, but usually as a secondary move. Chipotle flips that model, building the campaign around creators from the start.

The opportunity for brands isn't simply to add creators to an existing campaign. It's to rethink how the campaign gets made in the first place, giving creators a meaningful role in the creative process and then extending their work across channels.