Chipotle to launch original comedy series on Hulu

By Adam Flomenbaum 

chipotleBeginning on February 17, Chipotle will launch ‘Farmed and Dangerous,’ a satirical comedy series about industrial agriculture in America. The four-episode season will stream on Hulu and Hulu plus, and will be presented in weekly installments. The New York Times first reported the story.

Unlike the short-lived ‘Cavemen,’ which aired on ABC in 2007 and starred the GEICO caveman, Chipotle branding will be noticeably absent from ‘Farmed and Dangerous.’

According to Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing and development office at Chipotle, “[w]e think of ‘Farmed and Dangerous’ as a values-integration rather than typical product-integration. The show addresses issues that we think are important — albeit in a satirical way — without being explicitly about Chipotle. This approach allows us to produce content that communicates our values and entertains people at the same time.“

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By satirizing the extent to which large agriculture companies go to protect their images, Chipotle hopes to draw attention to its own commitment to running a responsible fast-food business. Chipotle was clearly motivated by the success of its short film ‘The Scarecrow,’ which has nearly 12 million views on YouTube. The animated film is more direct in its critique of corporate agribusiness, but it demonstrated for Chipotle the potential of unique forms of advertising – mainly native advertising and content marketing. The result is ‘Farmed and Dangerous,’ and companies combatting corporate image issues – or spending money extolling the virtues of its own practices – will definitely be monitoring its reception.

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