Chipotle’s latest playful stop-motion ad features Halsey’s cover of ‘She’s a Rainbow’

Chipotle is once again refocusing attention on sustainable agriculture and the downstream consequences of food choices in a new animated ad in the style of its 2011 hit video “Back to the Start.” “Unfolded” premiered Wednesday on Roblox, reminding consumers of the importance of consuming food made with real, farm-grown ingredients, such as those served at Chipotle’s restaurants. The 60-second stop-motion film features a rendition of the Rolling Stones’ “She’s a Rainbow” performed by singer-songwriter Halsey. Created by Venables Bell & Partners, the spot follows the life cycle of Chipotle’s ingredients through agrivoltaics, the practice of using land for both agriculture and solar energy production. The film follows a 2021 sequel to “Back to the Start” created by Observatory, through which Chipotle announced a commitment to contribute $5 million by the end of 2025 to support young farmers. As part of the new “Unfolded” campaign, the company is making good on its commitment by donating $2 million to four leading universities, including Ohio State University, Cal State Monterey Bay, Colorado State University and the University of Florida to support the future of farming. The donations are funded from Chipotle's initiative to contribute 5% of profits from its sales of Tractor Beverages to support farmers. Projects to be funded include establishing more agrivoltaics pilot programs, constructing greenhouses to conduct lab research, establishing funds to facilitate opportunities for K-12 students to explore careers in agriculture and research and providing grants to students conducting agriculture projects to advance the future of food. “How we grow our food is how we grow our future,” said Chris Brandt, chief brand officer of Chipotle. “As a brand dedicated to agriculture that is good for both people and the planet, Chipotle is always exploring opportunities to advance the industry and support farmers. These impactful projects, headed by some of the brightest minds in ag innovation, create optimism for widespread adoption of sustainable agriculture and the future of real food.” In 2011, “Back to the Start,” which featured a Willie Nelson cover of Coldplay’s “The Scientist” and was created by Creative Artists Agency, told the story of a pig farmer’s journey from running an industrialized farming compound to converting to more sustainable practices. The video, which ran originally online, was such a hit that Chipotle decided to buy media and aired it in some 5,700 movie theaters. It later became Chipotle’s first national TV ad. More Creativity coverage from Ad Age: Sign up for our daily Creativity newsletter to see the best stories of the day.

Chipotle’s latest playful stop-motion ad features Halsey’s cover of ‘She’s a Rainbow’

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