Dive Brief: 

• Chipotle is again linking with fitness app Strava for customized route segments and an accompanying challenge timed to New Year’s, per a press release. The partnership is expanding globally following the duo’s initial tie-up in 2024.  
• The City Challenge includes 25 segments, or portions of roads and trails where Strava users can enter into friendly competition, across cities in North America and Europe. The user in each city that completes their segment the most between Jan. 2-31 will be awarded free Chipotle Lifestyle Bowls for a year. 
• A leaderboard will display each city’s results, with the top-performing area rewarded with a buy-one, get-one-free entree offer. Additionally, Chipotle will launch an SMS activation around what the brand bills No Quitter’s Day, a counter to the day people are most likely to forfeit their New Year’s resolutions.

Dive Insight:

Chipotle is looking to capture the attention of the nearly 80% of consumers who have set health-oriented New Year’s goals with its expanded Strava partnership. The move, which promotes the QSR brand’s Lifestyle Bowls, follows a successful 2024 effort that saw Strava participants log over 9.25 million miles on Chipotle segments, the equivalent of circling the planet more than 370 times, according to Chipotle Chief Brand Officer Chris Brandt. 

“After seeing the passion our fans had for the initial launch with Strava, we had to increase access to the competition and raise the stakes,” Brandt said in a press statement. 

The reupped partnership will now include a global presence, bringing Chipotle routes to the 25 most popular cities for the restaurant chain across North America and Europe. Among the cities included are New York City, London, Paris and Toronto. From Jan. 2-31, Strava users can compete to achieve Local Legend Status, an award designated to the person who completes the segment the most times, with each city’s Local Legend to be awarded free Lifestyle Bowls for a year. 

Also new this year is a heatmap leaderboard that will showcase daily updates of each city’s performance. The city that ranks the highest by the end of the challenge will win a buy-one, get-one-free entree offer for their entire city, applicable to in-store orders. This marks the first time Strava segments will be pitted against each other as part of a brand-sponsored competition. 

Chipotle will again market around Quitter’s Day on Jan. 10 via an SMS activation, flipping the script on the date when many people tend to give up on their New Year’s goals. From Jan. 2-9, consumers can visit a designated microsite to join a “Goals, Gym, Guac” text message community that will receive exclusive content from creators, motivational texts and affirmations. For what the brand has renamed No Quitter’s Day, members of the community will be sent instructions to get one of 50,000 free Lifestyle Bowls. Chipotle has promoted No Quitter’s Day since 2023. 

Chipotle additionally is offering free delivery on Lifestyle Bowl orders in the U.S. on the Chipotle app and website from Jan. 2-31. Lifestyle Bowls, a digital exclusive menu item available in countries including the U.S., U.K., Canada and France, are chef-curated entrees that fit various diets, including keto, paleo and gluten-free needs. 

While Chipotle is getting in on the fitness craze surrounding New Year’s, other brands are entering 2025 by turning away from conventional resolutions. This week, RXBar unveiled a B.S. Blocker Truck that will tour New York City to block ads that consumers perceive as toxic. Also this week, Dove unveiled its first body confidence program for women, an effort timed to the period when many set New Year’s resolutions centered around weight-loss and dieting goals.