In the majority of blog posts at WordWrite Communications, we prefer to focus on the B2B (business to business) spaces where we offer strategic counseling efforts –health care, manufacturing, technology, professional services and energy. 
Once in a while, however, we stumble across something so out of character for a company in the B2C (business to consumer) sector that we can’t help but comment.
This is one of those instances.
Those who enjoy burritos or social media (everyone falls into at least one of those camps, right?) probably noticed the bit of trouble upscale fast-food favorite Chipotle encountered last week.
Presumably in an effort to gain more Twitter followers, the restaurant pretended to have its account hacked. That’s certainly a creative strategy, and Chipotle did gain 4,000 new followers in just a day (up from its average of 250).
But short-term gain can have a long-term cost if you’re not being true to yourself. In this case, I’d argue Chipotle jeopardized its reputation among loyal customers and followers in a brief, misguided deviation away from its authentic business story.
On the company’s own website, founder Steve Wills discusses what makes his company unique among competitors.
“‘Food with Integrity’ is our commitment to always look closer, dig deeper, and work harder to ensure that our actions are making things better, not worse. It’s our promise to run our business in a way that doesn’t exploit animals, people or the environment. It is the philosophy that guides every decision we make at Chipotle.”
Not to be glib, but it apparently didn’t guide this decision. Chipotle’s cups and bowls tout their eco-friendly composition and the way it processes its food is justifiably lauded. A Willie Nelson cover of Coldplay’s “The Scientist” highlighted Chipotle’s emphasis on sustainable farming and concern for local farmers in what was the company’s first national ad.
Chipotle has positioned itself as beyond reproach when it comes to a focus on fresh food and ethical production. Why risk a carefully built business story on such a silly stunt?
Everyone makes errors in judgment, but many slip-ups in the business community stem from getting away from remembering who you really are.
At WordWrite, we believe the foundation of any organization is inextricably tied to its authentic business Story, with a capital “S.” I’m not talking about brand. That’s different. Brand is who you aspire to be to the world. “Story” is who you really are to your customers and clients.
As we often write about, “Story” equals why you exist and why someone would value your services over your competition.
A business “Story” must describe a company’s true identity and purpose. It starts from a place of truth. It is validated and becomes more authentic because we at WordWrite consistently position a company’s experts as fluent narrators who share their strategic story with the right audiences on the right platforms and channels.
In this case, Chipotle could have engaged its stakeholders in a creative manner without sacrificing authenticity. Why not have farmers guest tweet? Why not have a real couple that dines frequently at the chain take over the reigns to the account instead of the fake (and honestly not very funny) “hackers?”
Because in the end, the 4,000 new followers weren’t engaged with Chipotle to begin with, and likely won’t pay attention for too much longer now that the stunt is over. More significant, those who have followed Chipotle’s rise from the beginning might be skeptical in the future.
If people start to believe Chipotle can’t be trusted to at least be real on social media, then they also might start to question whether or not the restaurant’s claims about where it gets its food are equally valid.
There’s nothing funny or cute about that. It impacts the bottom line. Under those circumstances, Chipotle’s leaders will have a bad case of indigestion, and not because of the food.
_____
Jeremy Church is an account supervisor for WordWrite Communications. He can be reached at jeremy.church@wordwritepr.com and on Twitter @churchjeremy.
