Tow #9: Media-"Back to the Start" Chipotle Commerical

In this Chipotle commercial, a farmer starts with a free-range farm with his wife and newborn child. As time goes on, he begins to industrialize his farm into almost a factory, putting the animals into giant buildings where they follow a conveyor belt to be fattened with chemicals and processed. However, the farmer realizes the error in his ways and goes "back to the start", breaking down the walls and allowing his animals to be free-range again. The commercial ends with the farmer, now an older man, hand-putting a crate of goods in a Chipotle truck. His wife and son, now fully grown, watch nearby.
The main appeal of this commercial is to pathos. Chipotle very powerfully spreads the message that their meats come from humane sources. The suffering of the farm animals when they are placed into the dark buildings is clear. There is also a clear contrast of color throughout the commercial. At first, everything is green and sunny, with the animals happily grazing in the fields. Then, the primary color is gray as the farmer begins to industrialize his farm. The colors return to a cheerful green and blue when the farmer sees his error and returns to sustainable farming. Coldplay's The Scientist also adds to the mood with its haunting quality and swell at the end as the farmer goes back to his humane methods.
The target audience is the American public, particularly adults. Not many people think about where the foods they eat come from, especially in restaurants. However, Chipotle's advertisement not only makes people confront this problem, but it also shows how Chipotle is addressing this issue as well, making the restaurant chain seem humane and attracting customers not only because they enjoy the food, but also because they appreciate the philosophy.
The advertising here seems subtle, because views do not know it's about Chipotle until they see the truck at the very end with the Chipotle logo on it. However, it achieves its purpose marvelously by not shoving the product in the viewer's face but instead first showing a moral issue, which the view is likely to react to more. Now when they see Chipotle, they connect the chain to sustainable farming and organic materials, which are good for the viewers.