Chipotle targets Gen Z with wellness Snapchat Lens, menu items

• Chipotle is targeting Gen Z and millennial consumers this month with a new Snapchat Lens and lineup of Lifestyle Bowls, which are available through its digital menu and are designed to promote wellness, according to details shared with Marketing Dive.
• Chipotle’s Snapchat Lens will include meditation prompts and exercises, making it the first wellness-themed lens from a restaurant brand. Chipotle will reward 100,000 lens users with free guacamole.
• The lens will launch on Jan. 13. The lens and new Lifestyle Bowls are inspired by contemporary wellness habits that emphasize healthy eating over diet culture.

Amid the diet, exercise and fitness advertising that traditionally arrives at the start of a new year, Chipotle is attempting to address how Gen Z and millennial consumers embrace wellness with new menu items meant to make it convenient to maintain New Year’s healthy-eating resolutions and an augmented reality experience that gamifies wellbeing. The release cites YPulse research indicating 76% of 13-to-39-year-olds believe wellness is anything that makes you feel good, and 90% say wellness looks different for everyone. 

The marketing effort also recognizes the challenges that consumers face when they resolve to eat more healthily after several weeks of holiday gorging. That’s why the Snapchat Lens will launch on January 13, a.k.a. Quitter’s Day, so named because it is the day when many people give up on their resolutions. 

By making the new bowls digital-only menu offerings, Chipotle continues its efforts to promote its app and loyalty programs, which have been a company priority for several years. Last year, the chain gave away 10,000 buy-one-get-one offers to Chipotle Rewards members during the NBA Finals who texted a hidden keyword to a designated SMS short code. The company’s recent marketing efforts have also included launching a crypto-based stock market game and launching a new garlic guajillo steak menu item through a metaverse activation.

Fitness and weight loss regularly top the list of New Year’s resolutions. According to market research company Numerator, 73% of those making resolutions focus on health goals, including fitness, weight loss and healthy eating. Unsurprisingly, brands in relevant categories generally ramp up their marketing efforts to capitalize on consumers’ sentiments at this time of year. This year is no different; Planet Fitness is launching a tongue-in-cheek advertising campaign touting itself as the cure for “Low E,” while Nature Made is encouraging consumers to make vitamins a part of their daily routines.