PPAI Magazine December 2024

Buzzworthy | Community 2. Chipotle Launches Meme-inspired Halloween Costumes In September, Chipotle Mexican Grill debuted its first quirky costume collection, in collaboration with Spirit Halloween, inspired by popular memes on both brands’ social channels. Two years ago, Chipotle hopped on the viral trend of social media users creating their costume ideas featuring the iconic Spirit Halloween bag. The food chain posted a fictional Chipotle fork bodysuit, followed by a Chipotle napkin costume concept, resulting in more than 700,000 online fan engagements. This year, Chipotle and Spirit Halloween teamed up to revive these two memorable memes and bring them to life, along with three entirely new looks for Halloween. “Our popular Halloween tradition, Boorito, began with a burrito-themed costume contest, and now we’re taking it to the next level with the launch of our first-ever costume collection,” said Chris Brandt, Chipotle’s chief brand officer. The first official Chipotle costumes – including the Chipotle Fork, Chipotle Napkin, Chipotle Water Cup, Chipotle Burrito and Chipotle To-Go Bag – were sold individually and ranged in size from adult small to XL. Each bodysuit retailed for $39.99 in the U.S. and Canada. This isn’t the first time Chipotle has turned online conversation into an actual product. In August 2022, the brand introduced a limited-edition lemonadescented soy candle designed to look like a Chipotle water cup. (Some Chipotle fans have “accidentally” filled their complimentary water cups with lemonade at the restaurant’s beverage stations.) In response to many fan social posts, Chipotle has acknowledged these “accidents” in tweets over the years and even published a description of the Chipotle water cup candle on X in December 2019. IMAGE: Chipotle PPAI • DECEMBER 2024 • 69

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