Chipotle’s Anti-Factory Farming Ad Wins a PR Award

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

Chipotle Mexican Grill and Creative Artists Agency, took top prize in the Cannes Lions PR category for its commercial called “The Scarecrow.”

The almost four-minute ad has stirred controversy, especially for those involved in the agriculture community, who’ve taken issue with the way the video portrays modern farming practices. In particular, the ad contrasts what it dubs as “factory farming,” to promote “sustainable farming” or non-GMO food production.

In the clip, the storyline follows a scarecrow character on a journey about the food system. The ad begins with the scarecrow entering what resembles a factory called Crow Foods, which shows chickens and cows in confinement being injected with needles, with what is assumed by the viewer to be antibiotics and/or hormones. It then contrasts those images with the same scarecrow character picking fresh vegetables in a garden.

Interestingly, the creators of the Chipotle ad campaign won an award in 2012 with a similar video that aimed at promoting “sustainable farming practices” versus “factory farming.”