The archive · Advertising · Marketing decision · 2011–2012
Chipotle's 'Back to the Start' wordless farm film wins the Cannes Film Grand Prix
A two-minute stop-motion story of a farmer who industrializes his land, then returns to nature, aired at the Grammys and swept Cannes Lions 2012.
Chipotle
What it had to solve
Chipotle, a fast-food chain built on 'Food With Integrity', had never run a national TV commercial and needed to explain its sourcing philosophy to America. CAA Marketing's idea was to make the argument itself the entertainment: no product, no voiceover, just a story.
How it works
Chipotle had built its chain on 'Food With Integrity' — naturally raised meat and local produce — but had never run a national television commercial. CAA Marketing, the advertising division of Creative Artists Agency, was asked to bring the brand's sourcing philosophy to America in a way that felt nothing like fast-food advertising.
The result was 'Back to the Start': a two-minute, wordless stop-motion film in which a farmer scales up his family farm into an industrial animal factory, sees the damage, and tears it down to return to sustainable farming. Nexus Productions' Johnny Kelly animated it in one sweeping take over four weeks on a single large model set, and Willie Nelson's cover of Coldplay's 'The Scientist' carried the emotion.
The film first appeared on the web and in 5,700 cinemas in August 2011, then aired in full during the 2012 Grammy Awards — Chipotle's national TV debut. There was no product, no price, no voiceover; the argument for better food was simply told as a story.
It became one of the most celebrated spots of the year: Time's TV critic called it more mesmerizing than the Super Bowl ads, and at Cannes Lions 2012 it took the Film Grand Prix, a Gold and a Silver in Film Craft, a Cyber Lion, and the Branded Content & Entertainment Grand Prix for the wider 'Cultivate' campaign — five honors in total, followed by five AICP awards, One Show Best of Show, three ANDYs and three Clios.
Why it lands
- The film made the brand's philosophy watchable: instead of claiming 'Food With Integrity', it showed what industrial farming does in two minutes of pure story.
- Wordlessness made it universal — no language, no slogan, just images and a song, so the argument traveled further than any ad script.
- The music did the persuasion: Willie Nelson's cover of a Coldplay ballad carried the emotional arc and became a cultural moment of its own.
- The media choice was the statement: airing a two-minute film about factory farming during the Grammys positioned Chipotle as the anti-fast-food brand in prime time.
What it did
The spot became one of the most celebrated commercials of 2012 — Time's TV critic called it better than the Super Bowl ads — and at Cannes Lions 2012 it won the Film Grand Prix plus a Gold and a Silver in Film Craft, a Cyber Lion, and the Branded Content & Entertainment Grand Prix for the wider 'Cultivate' campaign, five honors in total, followed by five AICP awards, One Show Best of Show, three ANDYs and three Clios.
What you can take
Make the argument the entertainment: a wordless story about factory farming became a two-minute film millions watched — the film itself was Chipotle's first national ad.
Since then
Chipotle repeated the pattern with later animated films, including a sequel to 'Back to the Start', and the film is routinely listed among the best commercials of the decade. 'Back to the Start' became the reference case for branded content and purpose-driven advertising, and its iTunes track kept funding the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation's work toward a sustainable food system.
Sources
- Nexus lands film grand prix at Cannes for Chipotle
- Duotone Rides 'Back to the Start' to Epic Year
- Grammy Awards: Chipotle wants us to cultivate a better world
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