So Chipotle has come to Shreveport. Now I’m not immune to the the charms of a well-made burrito. And, of course, in an age where consumers are increasingly concerned about the quality and purity of the food we eat, Chipotle’s self-proclaimed commitment to fresh ingredients, raised ethically, hits people where they live. And I like their food. I really do. As a marketer, I’m always looking for innovative marketing ideas. Chipotle delivered. (Not the food. The marketing idea.) They created/commissioned/sponsored a limited run (four episode) mini-series comedy on Netflix, called “Farmed and Dangerous,” blending commercial messages for Chipotle contest with the actual entertainment. The results were decidedly mixed. And scary. Let me explain… Most people think that commercials interrupt their favorite shows. That is, in fact, bass-ackwards. No, grasshoppa, the shows interrupt the commercials. Seriously. Advertisers want you to watch their ads. The shows are merely lures - bait to get you to watch their commercials. But there’s usually a line between entertainment and ads. Oh, sure, a lot of effort is put into product placement in movies and on TV. But there’s a great deal of difference between an actor popping open a Coke or Pepsi (instead of some “GenriCola”) in a scene, and the ads being integrated into the show itself. Farmed and Dangerous doesn’t just blur the line between ads and shows. It obliterates it. And in the Brave New World of streaming media, the FCC ain’t got no jurisdiction. That’s a little unsettling, both because of the obvious potential for abuse, and because it has the potential to open the floodgates of manipulating audiences for fun and profit. “How?” you may ask. And that’s when we come to the REALLY scary part of this show. The subtext - the subliminal (social) messaging. When you debate, it’s a lot easier to win, if you’ve got the only microphone. It’s the ol’ “bully pulpit” bit. And lemme tell ya, sports fans, the Internet is one Hell of a bully pulpit. Unencumbered by regulations, laws, and a need to present their position in a fair and balanced way, the Internet allows advertisers to simply make up reality in whatever way they see fit. Straw man arguments? Hey, no worries - set ‘em up, and knock ‘em down. Demonize your opponent? Easy-peasy. What about spin? Why bother, when you can define not only your own position, but your opponent’s too. You can tell they spent some big bucks on this. It has the look and feel of a network drama (which means they spent more on this, than the typical sitcom budget, several times over). And hey, it stars Ray Wise, not exactly a B- C- or D-lister in the character actor department. The show sets up a conflict between an earnest bunch of do-gooders that represent independent farmers, presumably the kinds that raise free-range chickens, practice “humane” farming techniques, and wouldn’t use hormones, GMOs, or chemical pesticides if their lives - or livelihoods depended on it. The villains? Big Farming, Big Oil, (huh?) and big Media/advertising. Nice hat trick. What drivees the pot is a company called “Animoil” that is busy developing cattle feed from petroleum. (Set aside the idea that feeding oil to cattle would make them MORE expensive to raise, than if they were fed on regular food. This is a pretty broad comedy.) So you’ve got your evil industrial farm corporations, blending “Big Oil” and “Big Farms,” with “Big Marketing” along for the ride. Check your consciences at the door. This is all about a ruthless pursuit of profit, consumers/victims be damned. The bad guys are bad. And they are portrayed as absolutely unconcerned about the ramifications of their actions on the general public. Yep. If Animoil’s “Petropellets” has a few side-effects (like making the cows explode), they’re only concern is minimizing the fallout and finding a new market for the stuff they peddle. Look, I get it. Chipotle uses fresh ingredients, and tries to encourage farming responsibly. But this whole “food desert” nonsense leaves me cold. And “Farmed and Dangerous” does everything they can do to imply, insist, and indicate outright, that those who have turned farming into a big business (Think: “Archer Daniels Midlands”) are only in it for the Benjamins. The trouble with TV (and streaming video) is that for most people, when a show comes on, they just wanna be entertained. They don’t want to have to turn on their BS detectors and maintain eternal vigilance, to make sure they don’t get dosed with a social agenda, hidden behind a few jokes or a dramatic script. Farmed and Dangerous was a moderately entertaining, well produced and directed satire. But the idea that Chipotle chose to ram their socio-political beliefs down my throat on the Q-T was really disturbing. So I made a decision for tonight’s dinner. I ate across the street, at Freebirds. Let’s hope they don’t go the “we believe in our positions so strongly, we’re willing to force them on you” route. Do that, and I may just have to give up burritos.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 05:24:33 +0000
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