Devastating and Beautiful Animated Ad Will Turn You Off Factory Farming

It isn't often that a fast-food chain wins the hearts of industrial food system activists. And yet, with its anti-establishment message and over 3 million hits already recorded, Chipotle's touching new infomercial has recently cemented a subtle but powerful message to otherwise apathetic customers.

Produced by Oscar winners Moonbot Studios, the animation is being used by American fast food chain Chipotle Mexican Grill to promote their mobile app game, which warns against the horrors of industrialised factory food production. Accompanied by a haunting rendition of the uber-familiar 'Pure Imagination' from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, sung by musician and animal rights activist Fiona Apple, the video succeeds as an indirect marketing hook, encouraging a more sustainable model for food cultivation. Also impressive is the fact that the video achieves this with almost non-existent branding, the Chipotle pitch not appearing until the final seconds of the video.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=lUtnas5ScSE

The brand — which took a hit earlier in the year after a fake Twitter hack and criticism over changing standards of beef — is once again proving its worth, the Scarecrow video showing an impressive commitment by the Mexican food chain to serve responsibly raised food.

The app is already one of the top ten most played free games on the iOS charts. It sees players act as the Scarecrow, the empathetic protagonist of the short film, with users then rewarded with free burritos.

Via Gawker.