Chipotle: Cultivating a Better World
Back in June, I wrote about my undying love of Chipotle and its brand.
I wrote about the company’s original short film, released in 2011 and entitled, “Back to the Start.” The film, by film-maker Johnny Kelly, depicts the life of a farmer as he slowly turns his family farm into an industrial animal factory before seeing the errors of his ways and opting for a more sustainable future. Both the film and the soundtrack were commissioned by Chipotle to emphasize the importance of developing a sustainable food system. The video reached more than four million views on YouTube when it aired during the 2012 Grammy Awards (in its entirety, 2 minutes and 20 seconds). At present, the video has a whopping 7.8 million views.
Fast-forward two years and so many months later to “The Scarecrow.”
I came across this new short film when it launched last Thursday, Sept. 11 and was in absolute awe. From the hauntingly beautiful Fiona Apple singing a childhood favorite, “Pure Imagination,” to the amazingly profound storytelling, I was hooked. Only Chipotle could weave a story that seems so simple, but is, in turn, a profound critique of our food industry. See for yourself.
Oh, and did I mention it’s based around marketing for a game? In collaboration with Academy Award-winning Moonbot Studios, “The Scarecrow” is an app-based, arcade-style adventure game that depicts a scarecrow’s journey to bring wholesome food back to the people by providing an alternative to the processed food that dominates his world (click here for a behind-the-scenes look). Here’s the official game description off its website.
The Scarecrow needs your help to foil the evil plans of Crow Foods and break the crows’ monopoly on food production and supply in the city of Plenty. Tilt your device to navigate through each level, outsmart the Crowbots, unlock extras, and restore hope for animals, farms, and the environment, while providing the citizens of Plenty a healthy and delicious alternative.
The buzz from Chipotle’s latest marketing coup is substantial. A simple Google News search for Chipotle and scarecrow returned more than 6,000 results. Every element has been meticulously thought through:
- Download Fiona Apple's cover of “Pure Imagination” from iTunes and proceeds ($.60 per download) go to the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation, which provides funding to support sustainable agriculture, family farming, and culinary education.
- Earn at least three stars on every level of the game and score a BOGO card for a Chipotle burrito, bowl, salad or order of tacos (while supplies last, sure, but who doesn’t love free food?).
And, all of the copy surrounding this campaign is clear and concise – case in point:
“The Scarecrow” is another chapter in our commitment to Food With Integrity, and represents what we aspire to accomplish through this mission. Our goal for “The Scarecrow” is to bring awareness of important issues to a broader audience, and we hope it entertains you as much as it makes you think.
Smart. Thought-provoking. Inspirational.
To leverage even more success, I’m curious to see if it runs during the Emmy Awards broadcast this weekend. It may have already netted more than 4.8 million YouTube views, but a primetime audience could mean a repeat of its initial “Back to the Start” success (and then some, especially considering the buzz is so big already). I’ll definitely keep an eye out.
So, how does this kind of campaign define Chipotle’s brand and tell its story? From a bigger branding picture, why does it matter? It’s rare for a large company to be so self-aware and smart that it builds a brand where it doesn’t have to blatantly use its own name in marketing and advertising. Chipotle relies on the wholesomeness of its food and emphasizes the importance of its cause to tell its overall brand story. From a bigger branding perspective, Chipotle’s success means more and more companies may need to figure out how to use similar tactics to build their own brands – and, for new companies, it’s a great example of the importance of working hard to do things right.
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Sources
“The Scarecrow,” ScarecrowGame.com, http://goo.gl/dTwNGV.
“The Scarecrow – Chipotle Mexican Grill.” MoonbotStudios.com, http://goo.gl/cOUhkK.
Twitter is watching you.
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Although Animal Farm is one of my favorite novels, George Orwell really annoyed me with 1984. Well, just kidding, I really liked that book too. I was just bitter that he picked my birth year to predict a totalitarian world where privacy and civil rights didn’t exist anywhere. I mean, I thought 1984 was great year for a baby. Anyway, he might have been onto something, just a decade or two too early.
Though mainly non-partisan when it comes to politics, it was hard not to see the door to our liberties close slightly with the Patriot Act of 2001. A statue that allowed the government to selectively access telephone, email, medical and financial records to protect our “freedom”, it made everyone wonder … is anything private anymore? Well, not really. And with the crazy technological boom of the past decade, it’s made the line between what is private and what is public not only blurry, but pretty much invisible.
Insert the social media craze. Whether searching for a job, investigating a crime, or just trying to spread a plethora of fast knowledge, outlets such as Facebook and Twitter have become catalysts for studying human behavior and examining an individual’s thoughts. Now some of these thoughts are being filed into public record ... and studied.
Read more
Old Medium, New Mix
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If you’re a magazine reader, get ready to see something different. On September 18th, CBS and Pepsi will launch their newest marketing experiment: video advertisements in a print magazine.
That’s right. Selected Entertainment Weekly subscribers in NYC and LA will receive magazine copies embedded with wafer-thin screens running clips of CBS’s upcoming shows. Additionally, there will be a screen with an ad for Pepsi’s new drink, Pepsi Max.
According to experts, a roughly two-inch screen starts playing automatically as the page flips open. A speaker is embedded below it. Additionally, viewers have the option to start or stop the video by pressing on the screen (an essential feature considering the runtime can be up to 40 hours). The new technology was developed by LA based company, Americhip, and is considered similar to that used by Amazon’s Kindle.
The CBS Corp., PepsiCo, and Entertainment Weekly are touting the video ads as the first ever to appear in a print magazine. CBS would not disclose pricing information for the inserts or the screens, however, experts estimate the cost to be somewhere between $8-15 per copy.
While CBS and Pepsi certainly have the first mover’s advantage on this one, I’m still not convinced that the over a million dollar investment will be worth it. What do you guys think?
By Kelley Blakewood
Addison Whitney Ranked as Top Ten Branding Agency
Advertising Age recently ranked Addison Whitney as the #8 U.S. Branding and Identity Agency as part of their 65th Annual Agency Report. InVentiv Communications was also recognized, ranking #19 on the list of the World’s Top 50 Agency Companies. GSW, Palio and Ignite were among the other InVentiv agencies named in the report.
Congratulations to Addison Whitney and all of the InVentiv Communications agencies for an outstanding achievement!
To see the report, visit the Advertising Age Datacenter .
Contributed by Laine Beyerl
The Business of Design
Joseph DeSetto, author of Flash MX. Rich Media for the Web was recently in Charlotte interviewing designers for his new book: The Business of Design, due out today.
The Business of Design will cover topics including legal and ethical issues, assets such as fonts and photography, and pricing and bidding on new jobs. DeSetto interviewed designers of various levels to glean opinions, advice, and words of wisdom. A great big kudos to Addison Whitney’s very own Visual Branding Department for being interviewed for this publication, specifically for inclusion as a supplemental DVD that will be packaged with the book.
Congrats to the Visual Branding team for their hard work which has earn them well-deserved recognition within the industry, and best wishes to DeSetto for this new venture. We’ll definitely have a copy or two on our shelves!
Visual Branding Team Recognized in American Corporate Identity 2009
The Visual Branding Team at Addison Whitney recently received recognition from the American Corporate Identity national design competition for their work on the LiquiSoft visual brand, created for Banner Pharmacaps. LiquiSoft is a new chewable, liquid-filled softgel designed with pediatric and senior populations in mind.
The team was also awarded for their work with Parker Hannifin on the Parker Brand Book. This extensive brand standards program explains and defines numerous brand related topics ranging from brand strategy and messaging to logo usage, packaging and tradeshow graphics.
The awarded designs will be published in American Corporate Identity 2009 to be released in the fall of 2008.
Defending the Empty Vessel Approach to Naming
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Maghan Cook, Verbal Branding Associate for Addison Whitney, was recently published in the May 2008 issue of PharmaVOICE. Please click here to view an abstract of her article on Defending the Empty Vessel Approach to Naming.
By: Trista Thielker
Review of PTMG Speaking Engagement
On April 1, 2008 Brannon Cashion, Senior Vice President of Addison Whitney, spoke at the Pharmaceutical Trade Marks Group (PTMG) in Dublin, Ireland. Brannon addressed the topic, from a brand consultant’s perspective, of launching a new pharmaceutical brand name. Thanks to Jeremy Phillips and IPKat team for reviewing the conference.
By: Trista Thielker