Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility and Brand Sincerity: A Case Study of Chipotle Mexican Grill's 'Food with Integrity' Program

Matthew W. Ragas
Marilyn S. Roberts

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

International Journal of Strategic Communication

Publication Date

10-16-2009

Abstract

Using a multidisciplinary case study approach, including in-depth interviews, a survey and text analysis, this research analyzes how U.S.-based fast-casual restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill purposefully communicates its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs to its publics and how its brand personality is perceived by its brand community. Previous research (e.g., Hoeffler and Keller, 2002) asserts there is a linkage between an organization's emphasis on CSR strategic communication efforts and its perceived brand sincerity. The results of this study indicate that Chipotle's most devoted public, its brand community, perceives sincerity to be the most salient dimension of Chipotle's brand personality. Theoretical implications are discussed.

ISSN

1553-118X

Publisher

Informa UK Limited

Volume

3

First Page

264

Last Page

280

Disciplines

Business | Communication

Indexed in Scopus

no

Open Access

no

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