Here is a reaction to it: MediaPost Blog
Now, I'm sure that opinions will be mixed with regards to the question of the tone of the video, and whether it make the viewer think more highly of Chipotle or not. You can argue that the video is overly aggressive, ominous, or preachy, but you can't say that it is refusing to take sides.
Here are a few things to keep in mind that set this video apart though, while you think about it. This video has over five million views, but it is hardly an advertisement. It's over three minutes long, which means that it can't really be run as an ad in any traditional format (not tv, not pre-roll, not any standard OLV inventory), and it isn't written in a way that would allow a short version for distribution through these channels.
It doesn't really try to sell the product, other than by contrast and innuendo. The only tangible thing it really seems to promote is a game that I have never heard of, and that I don't think they really need to support the business case for this video The Chipotle branding/logo doesn't even appear until the "credits" at the very end, except for one second where they imply it with an image of pepper that requires a previous familiarity with the brand.
For all of the things this creative isn't doing though, there is no question about the statement that they are making, or how they are looking to differentiate the brand. The thing that is so stunning about this piece is that in a single stroke, they are not only creating a new brand identity, but cementing it. Normally it takes a company years of subtle branding to get consumers to identify them with a concept, movement, ideology, or ephemeral 'value.' After this though, can you name another corporation that will be more identified with the "real food" movement?
To put this in context, we also need to look at what other brands have done along these lines. Think about Walmart's recent campaign, in which they show customers reacting to what they think is farm stand produce, only to find out that it is Walmart produce, or when they do the same thing with steaks at a steakhouse. The implication is that you can get high quality, fresh food from a mega-mart at low prices, but it is being compared to food of equally questionable provenance when it comes to the evils of large scale agri-business practices and quality. They are just saying, "our food isn't WORSE" than that.
Also relevant would be the McDonalds commercials that show multi-generational farmers lovingly caressing potatoes in a bucolic, perfectly imagined setting. Father and son, real salt-of-the-earth types, marveling at this (implicitly) natural and organic creation they have raised. Then letting you know that they only put the very best things into their french fries. You can close your eyes and imagine that some McDonalds truck is driving around the heartland, going to different farms, interacting with gnarled old farmers, and finally paying them a good price for their perfect free-range potatoes. You certainly don't want to close your eyes and think about chicken nuggets, and whatever goes on behind THAT scene.
The point is that these other companies are trying to make a similar point by omission, rather than addressing the issue directly, because they don't really have a leg to stand on. Walmart can't go trashing Monsanto, and McDonalds can't complain about livestock conditions, because it just wouldn't hold up to scrutiny. These companies have long, well-known histories of PR problems in their supply chains, and it is going to take a long time to subtly shift that perception without being blatantly disingenuous.
This leaves a big opportunity for a company like Chipotle to step in and position themselves as a fast food company with a soul, an option in a marketplace crowded with villains that you can feel good about. This video makes me think hard about eating there, and I am normally a Qdoba guy from way back.
Of course, this opportunity is also fraught with peril, because they are writing an awfully big check with this video. All of the goodwill this might generate will be countered two-fold if it turns out that they source their food in roughly the same way as everyone else. By throwing this gauntlet down and shifting the conversation in the competitive QSR arena to the ingredients, they are begging for more scrutiny into where their food is coming from, so I really hope that their house is in order.
