The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

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Client: Chipotle
Date: Apr 2017
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In Chipotle’s latest campaign, comedians find themselves spilling some of their deepest, darkest secrets inside of a giant burrito that’s voiced by Jeffery Tambor.

Created by the brand’s recently-appointed agency Venables Bell & Partners, the “As Real as It Gets” campaign aims to drive home the fact 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 broadcast, cable and digital ads, 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.”

Credits

Founder/Chairman: Paul Venables

Executive Creative Director: Will McGinness

Creative Director: Tom Scharpf

Art Directors: Amanda Younger, Avery Oldfield and Mark Lawson

Copywriters: Jimmy Burton, Adam Wolinsky and Eric Boyd

Head of Strategy: Michael Davidson

Senior Brand Strategist: Jake Bayham

Director of Digital Strategy and Analytics: Jeff Burger

Group Communication Strategy Director: Gavin Jones

Director of Integrated Production: Craig Allen

Producer: Gabby Gardner

Group Brand Director: Kammie Sulaiman Dascola

Brand Manager: Mikaela Kearns

Assistant Brand Manager: Ursula Reichle

Project Manager: Madi McCallum

Director of Business Affairs: Quynh-An Phan

Business Affairs/Talent Manager: Yelena Kompaneyets

Senior Traffic Manager: Jermelia Holling

Assistant Traffic/Business Affairs Manager: Malcolm Konner

Production Company: O Positive

Director: David Shane

Director of Photography: Maryse Alberti 
Executive Producer: Ralph Laucella
Producer: Ken Licata 
Production Designer: Maia Javan

Editorial Company: Arcade Edit

Managing Partner: Damian Stevens

Executive Producer: Crissy DeSimone

Head of Production: Kirsten Thon-Webb

Editor: Geoff Hounsell

Editor: Nick Rondeau

Assistant Editor: Gustavo Roman

Assistant Editor: John Gallagher

Producer: Alexa Atkin

Visual Effects: Timber

Creative Directors/Partners: Jonah Hall, Kevin Lau

Executive Producer: Sabrina Elizondo

Head of Production: Melody Alexander

Senior Producer: Tita Poe

Associate Producer: Brack Hightchew

Lead Flame Artist: Miles Kinghorn

Flame Artists: Chris DeCristo, Tim Miller, Chris Homel, Todd Mesher

Flame Assist: Austin Lewis

Comp Artist: Michael Loney, Jason Forster, Geronimo Moralez

Animator: Zach Carnes

VFX: Jeff Willette

Color: Company 3

Colorist: Dave Hussey

Color Producer: Liza Kerlin

Final Mix: Lime Studios

Audio Mixer: Zac Fisher

Audio Assistant: Lisa Mermelstein

Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan

Music: Human

Producer: Kamela Anderson

Composers: Gordon Minette, Matthew O’Malley, and Aaron Kotler

Creative Leads: Gareth Williams and Craig DeLeon