Back to the Start

For my first blog post, I decided to analyze what I consider my favorite piece of advertising. It was aired for the first time on TV during the 2012 Grammy Awards, but lived on YouTube since mid-September. For Chipotle's first national TV ad, they used a 2 minute YouTube video to set them apart in today's realm of advertising.


'Back to the Start' is Chipotle's short film showcasing Willie Nelson's take on Coldplay's 'The Scientist. This ad is nothing less than creative genius, in my opinion, as it tells a story that ends with the simple message: Cultivate a better world.

The creative team that dealt with this account made several strategic moves that made this advertisement really resonate around the world. The most obvious of those moves was the use of YouTube, and leveraging that platform to reach more eyes than your typical 60 second spot. The 2 minute video has over 8 million views on YouTube to date.

I think the team behind this ad put a strong emphasis on storytelling, and reaching their target audience that way. The choice to show a cartoon world with oddly shaped people and robotic road systems was a risky decision, but contributed very positively to the entire experience of this so-called "short film."

A common response to the video, however, is why Chipotle? Are their ingredients and their practices really "cultivating a better world?" I can't really answer that question. To me, though, it is obvious that Chipotle wants to be aligned very closely with the green movement and environmental practices to show a progressive mindset in their company. They used YouTube, which has it's own vast audience to reach out to people who share their same progressive mindset. And like that, their name sticks.

Although the advertisement showed no clips of the actual store and less than 10 seconds of their logo on the screen, they've convinced many people that they should eat at Chipotle, and in-turn, change the world. But, whether or not any of that is true, I'm still sitting here thinking about this commercial, and the incredible storytelling that is illustrated so professionally.

For me, the combination of the song, the singer, and the story combined to make one perfect piece of work. Maybe in a future post, I'll talk about Chipotle's follow up 'The Scarecrow.' This is another awesome piece from Chipotle, but doesn't trump the original!

Incase the video did not embed above correctly, see below for the YouTube link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMfSGt6rHos