A recent study found that the social network is still the dominant platform in the restaurant space, although Chipotle begs to differ.

Everyone knows that social media has completely changed marketing. According to Toast’s recent 2019 Restaurant Success Report, 34% of restaurant operators and owners have a dedicated employee whose full-time job is running social media. 

In recent years, social media has changed from being a platform for brand advertisements to a place for unique and complex marketing campaigns. Considering Facebook has a staggering 2 billion users and Instagram 1 billion, it seems absurd that 12% of brands are still hesitant to get onboard. 

Although 91% of brands in the restaurant space leverage Facebook over other platforms, that isn’t stopping some companies from experimenting with new apps. 

Chipotle recently became the first and only major restaurant franchise to have a TikTok account. The decision seems to be paying off for the brand, who embarked on a six-day #ChipotleLidFlip campaign, which ran in early May, generated 104 million video starts. 

The brand’s foray into TikTok doesn’t stop there. Last month’s #GuacDance challenge generated 250,000 video submissions and 430 million videos—TikTok’s highest performing branded challenge yet. The hashtag brought results in the real world as well, with the chain’s avocado usage jumping 68%.

It could be this new marketing strategy that has resulted in McDonald’s decision to replace leaving CMO with an SVP of global marketing and SVP of marketing technology. Only time will tell if other brands follow suit.

It all begs the question—if a brand isn’t pioneering a viral fast-food-dance-challenge in 2019, are they even marketing?