Following its announcement that it is the only national restaurant brand that doesn’t use added colors, flavors or preservatives — artificial or natural — in any of the ingredients it uses to prepare its food, Chipotle Mexican Grill has launched a new ‘As Real as It Gets’ campaign celebrating its commitment to using only real ingredients.
The ad spots see actress Jillian Bell, actor Sam Richardson and writer, actor and comedian John Mulaney ‘get real’ about their desires, fears and secrets as they kick back inside a burrito-shaped lounge.
“In a world of fakery and half-truths, it’s invigorating to hear a brand tell it like it is,” said Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing and development officer for Chiptole. “This campaign challenges the conventions of fast food advertising by being completely real — not only about our food, but about the world we live I — and it does so with an optimism and playful humor that’s very much in line with our brand.”
The ads communicate Chipotle’s commitment to using only real ingredients and follows the roll out of new tortillas made without preservatives and dough conditioners. The restaurant chain now uses only 51 ingredients that can easily be found at a farmer’s market or grocery store — including dairy from cows raised in pasture, meats from animals raised without hormones or non-therapeutic antibiotics and ingredients that have not been genetically modified. Alongside the ‘As Real as It Gets’ campaign, Chipotle has released a new section of its website dedicated to its ingredients.
The campaign was developed by Venables Bell & Partners (VB&P). The cable and digital ad spots represent only one element of the campaign. Chipotle is also launching a series of radio, outdoor and social advertising that convey its commitment to ‘keeping it real.’
Chipotle has been busy rebuilding its image to reassure following the damning food-safety scares of 2015, revamping its food safety program across the value chain and releasing short films geared at highlighting the company’s commitment to high quality, unprocessed ingredients. ‘As Real as It Gets’ continues in this vein.
Chipotle isn’t the only company interested in providing consumers with affordable, whole, unprocessed food. Panera Bread is yet another company keen on making the shifting towards a clean and preservative-free model. The restaurant chain has eliminated artificial preservatives, sweeteners, flavors and colors from its menu and last month introduced new zero-added sugar beverages to its lineup of offerings.
Earlier this year, the Campbell Soup Company released its Well Yes! line of ready-to-serve soups, which contain recognizable ‘clean’ ingredients, which contain no artificial colors, flavors, ingredients or modified starches.
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Published Apr 17, 2017 4am EDT / 1am PDT / 9am BST / 10am CEST