Ad-Anatomy: Chipotle

I dissect and rate a Chipotle ad hoarding

Given how often we are bombarded by banal brochures & blurbs from businesses (alliteration intended 🙈), isn’t it refreshing to spot an advertisement that’s actually enjoyable!

Turns out 5 years of experimenting with creatives spanning FB, Instagram, Whatsapp, Email, SMS, and even newspaper inserts and radio ads has made me develop a hobby of evaluating ads I spot! Hence, through this post, I’ll indulge myself by rate ads I spotted across 6 Metrics:

1. First Impression: My first reaction as I spotted the advertisement
2. Key Single Takeaway: How easy is it for me to have a clear, key takeaway
3. Ad Intent: Does the ad intend to boost the company’s brand, or does it intend to nudge the viewer to take an action, or both?
4. Conciseness of Text: Shorter text typically means more people will get through the key message quickly
5. Relevance/Impact of Visual Elements: Do the visual elements complement the key takeaway?
6. Versatility: Versatility across visual formats (portrait, landscape, thin strips, etc)), across mediums (outdoor, print, digital, radio, sms) and across intent (branding vs ‘call to action’)

THE AD: “YOUR KITCHEN HAS MORE FREEZERS THAN OURS” — CHIPOTLE

Before you read any further, spend a few seconds looking at this ad and see how you feel about it!

Source: Pacific Advertising

0) Context

• Spotted: 12 Jan 2020
• Format: Roadside Hoarding; I was in a cab
• My Relationship with the Brand: Love it. Chipotle is my go-to meal place when I need a full meal.

1) First Impression

• Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (5/5)
• “Okay, I have 1 freezer. Wait, they don’t use freezers at all! 😮 That’s amazing! 😊 No wonder the food does taste fresh.” And then I also thought, “That’s a clever way of putting it too. 😏 I like them.”

2) Key Single Takeaway

• Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (5/5)
• FRESHNESS OF FOOD

3) Ad Intent

• Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (5/5)
• Branding: ✔️
• Call TO Action: ✖️

4) Conciseness of Text

• Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (5/5)
• 7 words
• Not using the word ‘fresh’ but still conveying it is a big differentiator for Chipotle in this ad given the large number of brands that use freshness as a selling point

5) Relevance/Impact of Visual Elements

• Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ➖ (4/5)
• Simplicity: Extremely minimal with 4 key elements — the text, the logo, a single Chipotle bowl and a plain background make the ad very simple.
• Complementing Key Message: For me personally, the freshness of the food was not as apparent right away just from the image of the bowl. It could be because of 2 reasons: 1) I add greens to my Chipotle bowl and I am most concerned about their freshness, 2) branding I have been exposed to of Chipotle because I like adding greens
• Appeal: The bowl shape is not the standard oval which is another issue that I have with this ad.

6) Versatility

• Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ (5/5)
• Visual Mediums: The conciseness of the text and simplicity of the visuals make this adaptable to all visual mediums across Digital or Offline.
• Branding vs Call to Action: It definitely works well as a branding ad. It can do a fair job of working as a call-to-action to get someone to purchase Chipotle at the right time of the day. However, I also believe that I’d expect the visual to be more appetizing with their conventional oval bowl to really trigger my cravings for Chipotle!

FINAL VERDICT: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ➖ (4/5)

While this ad definitely earns points for very cleverly putting across the over-pitched promise of Freshness in a new, refreshing way, the visual elements didn’t live up to their potential to complement the message. That’s the only reason why I knocked off 1 star!

I’d love to hear what you thought about the ad and any feedback you might have! Drop a comment here, or shoot me an email at palagr2993+mdm@gmail.com or tweet to @palashagrawal29!