Ad of the Day: Chipotle enlists comedians to tell its story in biggest TV push to date
In Chipotle’s latest campaign, comedians find themselves spilling some of their deepest, darkest secrets inside of a giant burrito that’s voiced by Jeffrey Tambor.
Created by the brand’s recently-appointed agency Venables Bell & Partners, the 'As Real as It Gets' campaign aims to drive home the point that Chipotle is committed to using real, quality ingredients in its food.
To relay this commitment in a fun way, the brand enlisted the help of comedians John Mulaney, Sam Richardson and Jillian Bell. In the spots, the comedians end up revealing their true colors during therapy-style sessions with Tambor’s voice since they’re “inside a Chipotle burrito, where everything is real.”
In a spot starring Richardson, the "Veep" star ends up boring Tambor when he begins listing off mundane confessions, like the fact that he has never been to Delaware. Another features Bell admitting that she hates the ocean since her whole family got eaten by sharks when she was a kid. A spot featuring Mulaney shows the stand-up comedian performing a bit about Pluto not being a planet anymore, only to be criticized by Tambor for telling jokes instead of being “real.”
The lighthearted campaign, which marks Chipotle’s biggest TV push to date, comes as the chain tries to recover from its food poisoning crisis that hit restaurants in late 2015. Following the health scare, Chipotle’s sales took a huge hit - in 2016, same-store sales were down 20.4% compared to the year prior.
Aside from TV, the 'As Real as it Gets' campaign also includes radio, outdoor, banner and social elements. Media planning and buying for the campaign was handled by MullenLowe’s MediaHub.
“In a world full of fakery and half-truths, it’s invigorating to hear a brand tell it like it is,” said Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing and development officer for Chipotle, in a statement. “This campaign challenges the conventions of fast food advertising by being completely real — not only about our food, but about the world we live in — and it does so with an optimism and playful humor that’s very much in line with our brand.”
