Chipotle 'Wraps' Twitter Ad Around Amy Sedaris

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Chipotle Mexican Grill, a 17-year-old brand that's never run a TV spot, continues to spice up its marketing with social media. The restaurant chain today has purchased the Twitter Promoted Trend ad to point viewers to branded videos featuring comedienne and author Amy Sedaris.

The Denver-based company's ad utilizes the copy "#ChipotleGold" and leads click-throughs to a page with a Promoted Tweet. It reads: "Wrap it. Upload it. Vote. And you could win. Check it out at http://bit.ly/fdaArG #ChipotleGold – Joe".

People who click on the link go to a landing page that includes a three-part video series by Sedaris called "Wrapping with Amy." The videos are titled "Goldacious Entertaining," "Goldiful Flower Arranging," and "Goldify Your Grill" (embedded below). In the spots, she humorously displays how to coat an assortment of things in gold wrapping paper. Twitter reportedly is charging as much as $120,000 per day for the global Promoted Trend ads.

The Twitter effort builds on Chipotle's "Wrapped In Gold" theme, which is an extension of its "Unlimited Time Only" campaign that began on March 1 and runs until June. The campaign has hinged on a photo contest, where consumers have been able to enter by posting pictures of things they have enveloped in gold wrapping to Chipotle's Facebook page.

Participants have then encouraged others to vote for their photo. The two individuals who end up accruing the most tallies will receive either the grand prize of $10,000 or the second-place award, a 24-carat Chipotle "burrito buck" gold coin. Additionally, the effort is raising money for a nonprofit called FamilyFarmed.org that is devoted to educating farmers on how to directly sell their products to restaurant chains like Chipotle.

The Twitter- and Facebook-based efforts underscore how a historically offline brand is increasingly going digital. For instance, Chipotle has developed an iPhone app with technology firm Pervasent to enable on-the-go meal ordering. And earlier this week, it selected digital agency Rokkan to help out with further developing its e-commerce strategy as well as Chipotle.com in general.

Chris Arnold, the brand's spokesperson, told ClickZ about how his company plans to work with Rokkan. "We will continue to look for ways to use technology to connect with our customers as it makes sense," he said. "One recent example was the purchase of a mobile short code so that we can speak directly to customers through their mobile devices."

Arnold suggested that Rokkan will also tighten up ROI analysis as it pertains to Chipotle's digital offers and its 1,000 stores. "Right now, they are working with us to develop some internal tools to help us better track and measure some of the promotions we offer," he said. "Several of their projects will help us with local store marketing."