Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Back to the Start - That Chipotle Ad about Factory Farming


I didn't watch the Grammys, for several reasons.  The primary reason is that I've never watched the Grammys, and the next one I can think of is that I was very busy watching a goofy soap opera on PBS.


But I heard a little bit about them.  Well, mostly that the kids today don't know who Paul McCartney is, and of course, about the Chipotle ad that aired.



Full disclosure, I've eaten at a Chipotle twice, it's not something I've made an effort to support, I don't have full information on their practices, and I'm not saying lets all go out for burritos.  You can make your own burrito.  But if this ad changes no one's behavior in terms of frequency of visits to Chipotle, it still might be the most powerful ad I've ever seen.


I'm late to the game.  Apparently, though this is the first time it's aired on TV, it's been floating around the internet and movie theaters since the summer. 


More disclosure.  I cried.  Just a bit.  But I cry pretty easily.  Not like Kristen Bell with a sloth, but I've been known to cry at commercials.  Or whenever people sing spontaneously or in groups.  Or if I stub my toe, even a little. 


It made me proud of Saturdays Mouse HQ's recent efforts to avoid mass-produced food, but also made me think that we're not doing enough.  


There's another ad too.  While Back to the Start is about a farmer changing his ways from large-scale industrial farming to open air, free range farming, Abandoned is about farmers leaving their homes and land.  This one has been floating around since the fall, but I only found it when I started to pull this post together. 


So, I'm very curious what y'all think.
  
Is this ad just a marketing stunt for a chain restaurant?  Will you go to Chipotle?  Was it irrelevant because it was just about meat, and you don't eat meat? (watch Abandoned then) Will you make more of an effort to get your food from local farmers?