Bang on: Chipotle explores ethos through satire

Denver – Chipotle Mexican Grill is taking the notion of being a disruptive brand one step further by producing a four-part series for American streaming service Hulu that subtly belies its values through a work of fiction.

Farmed and Dangerous, a satirical comedy series about American agribusiness, features an evil corporation, Animoil, which introduces petroleum-based cattle feed that causes the animals to explode.

‘Much of our marketing is aimed at making consumers more curious about where their food comes from,’ says Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing and development officer at Chipotle. ‘By making complex issues about food production more understandable – even entertaining – we are reaching people who have not typically been tuned into these types of issues.’

The series may be considered as scaremongering, playing on people’s fears while gently suggesting the alternative – go to Chipotle, where the food is ‘made with integrity’.

LS:N Global will be exploring this theme, as well as how Convergence Culture, in which different sectors converge into one, at our Spring/Summer 2014 Trend Briefing, The Polarity Paradox. For more, book tickets at our Eventbrite page.