Chipotle is known for its great tasting food, but few know that Chipotle has radically changed the fast food industry. Believing that the more people know about Chipotle, the more they will become passionate and loyal customers, Chipotle wanted to tell this story.
The result was a content-driven marketing platform, “Cultivate a Better World", designed to emotionally engage customers in Chipotle's journey to create a sustainable future. As a continuation of the Cultivate platform, “The Scarecrow” was created to create a conversation about the state of processed food and its effect on our world.
“The Scarecrow,” is a gaming franchise (an animated short, mobile game, and song) that depicts a scarecrow’s journey to bring wholesome food back to the people.
The game’s opening cinematic, directed by the Academy Award-winning Moonboot Studios, is set in a dystopian world where food production is controlled by fictional industrial giant Crow Foods. The short was distributed on YouTube, in-game, and alongside the theatrical release of the documentary “GMO OMG.”
Additionally, the film is set to a remake of the song “Pure Imagination” from the 1971 film classic “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” performed by Grammy Award-winning artist, Fiona Apple and is available on iTunes for charity.
The mobile game continues the film’s story. Players help The Scarecrow correct the wrongs committed by Crow Foods. Designed for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, the game allows players to fly through the City of Plenty to transport confined animals to open pastures, fill fields with diverse crops at Scarecrow Farms, and serve wholesome food to the citizens at Plentyfull Plaza, all while avoiding menacing Crowbots.
The Scarecrow is available for free from the iOS App Store. Players of the game were awarded with Chipotle food in the form of a mobile coupon delivered immediately to their devices.