Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility and Brand Sincerity: A Case Study of Chipotle Mexican Grill\u27s \u27Food with Integrity\u27 Program

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\u27s emphasis on CSR strategic communication efforts and its perceived brand sincerity. The results of this study indicate that Chipotle\u27s most devoted public, its brand community, perceives sincerity to be the most salient dimension of Chipotle\u27s brand personality. Theoretical implications are discussed