Chipotle’s “Unfolded”

Welcome to the AdMiration newsletter! Each week we analyze new and noteworthy ads to give you our 3-2-1 snapshot of the ad (3 facts, 2 learnings and 1 reflection).

This week’s ad: “Unfolded”???

Chipotle’s “Unfolded” is an animated film incorporating Grammy-nominated artist Halsey’s rendition of the song "She's a Rainbow." As part of Chipotle's larger commitment to give $5 million by the end of 2025 to support the future of farming, one piece of this campaign included pledging $2 million across leading universities to support educational programs that advance the future of farming.

The ad opens to a shot of a Chipotle burrito bowl placed in front of a paper bag with the Chipotle logo and the words “for Real” underneath. We dive into the paper bag where an animated film begins, showcasing a red paper truck filled to the brim with fresh food as a rendition of “She's a Rainbow” by Halsey starts to play. As the truck drives on from the initial farm stop, the scene unfolds into plentiful paper farmlands filled with farm animals, produce and energy resources like wind turbines and solar panels.???

The truck makes its way into the city and comes to a stop outside of a Chipotle storefront and begins unloading all the fresh produce. To close, the scene pans out as the words “Cultivate a better world” appear on screen and returns the the beginning shot of the Chipotle “Real food” bag with their popular burrito bowl.???

3 facts

• “Unfolded” performed exceptionally well in driving Sales Impact (92) and Brand Impact (73), ranking in the top 10% of US ads for sales impact and top 30% of all US ads for brand impact.
• With 82% of viewers remembering the brand (well above the 68% average), the ad successfully creates a strong brand connection. The ad also helps set Chipotle apart from other fast food brands (brand distinctiveness 3.9 vs. the 3.7 average).

• We see time and time again that animals are key drivers of positive emotion (and in this case, even when they're not real!). The presence of animals in the ad drove emotional engagement, with peaks of love reaching 16% when they appeared, highlighting their positive impact on audience sentiment.

2 learnings

• Being different from the category can help you stand out. Under 10% of advertising is set in a rural setting (and 80% of fast-food advertising is set indoors), making this ad very different from what's expected. The unique setting combined with a beautiful visual style and compelling music from a popular artist produced a distinctive ad that audiences knew could only be for Chipotle.???
• Purpose-driven advertising works when it feels authentic. Chipotle’s commitment to real ingredients and ethical sourcing are real and don’t feel like green-washing to viewers. The execution of the ad is very authentic and does a beautiful job of demonstrating where the ingredients come from.

1 reflection

Is there something unique about your brand or positioning that would allow you to authentically break category codes, stand out and be true to your brand??

Unlike most fast food ads, Chipotle slowed things down and embraced nature with this feel-good spot — taking on a tone that isn’t typical for the category.?

But just because it isn’t typical, doesn’t mean it can’t still ring true for your brand. Chipotle matched the style of their ad with their brand pledge to help support the future of farming and sustainability — a message which came through clearly.?

For more data & analysis

There’s a lot more to say about this ad!

Go to the Zappi blog for a more detailed look at this ad’s performance — including more about how this ad is different from the QSR category.

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Until next week,

Kim Malcolm