BrandWeek -- Chipotle’s last reported quarter was a bit more palatable than some analysts had projected—revenues jumped 19.5 percent and same-store sales rose 3.5 percent. But those results were largely the outcome of a price hike at Chipotle and some argue that, in this economy, that’s not necessarily the best play. Still, the chain believes there’s a lot of room for growth. On the marketing front, that is manifest by the appointment of Mark Crumpacker as its first CMO. Crumpacker, who worked as a consultant to the chain for years, is in the midst of deciding how to build on Chipotle’s so-far, word-of-mouth-based brand. Crumpacker discussed how he is deciding which media to use and how to best employ a recent ethnographic study about the chain. Excerpts of the conversation are below:
