Last week I turned over the New York Times to find something that made no sense. An advertisement titled “An Open Letter to Everyone with Mouths.” The letter goes on to argue on behalf of a company that does not exist.
A full-page advertisement in The New York Times is not cheap. I could not decipher why anyone would pay so much for something that obviously could not be real. Luckily, at the bottom of the page was a website address.
I soon gathered that the advertisement was for a TV show, apparently sponsored by Chipotle. Yet, neither Chipotle nor an explanation could be found anywhere on the page.
I was both surprised and impressed by this kind of advertising. Not only placing a lot of faith in the power of the average person’s intrigue to see the advertisement and look it up, but also pushing new boundaries in the marketing arena.
A few years ago Chipotle came out with this video and this one. The second video couples with an App Chipotle created called “The Scarecrow.”
The combined popularity of these short films would eventually spur the idea for a full online TV series through Hulu.com called “Farmed and Dangerous.”
To watch the Farmed and Dangerous trailer click here.
