Chipotle:
A Future Begins
Role
Led the award strategy and execution for this impactful campaign, overseeing the development of award entry write-ups, a compelling case study video, and an engaging presentation board.
Accolades
The campaign garnered 61 honors across 33 prestigious award shows, including:
Cannes Lions: 5 Wins from 11 Nominations
Effie Award: 1 Win
CLIO Awards: 3 Wins
Annie Award: 1 Win
One Show: 3 Wins, 2 Honorees
ADC Awards: 3 Wins
London International Awards (LIA): 3 Wins
Integrated Case Study
Campaign Overview
A decade after Chipotle’s acclaimed Back to the Start campaign, Observatory collaborated with Chipotle again to create its sequel, A Future Begins. This stop-motion animated film continues the story of a family farm, highlighting the challenges of passing it down to the next generation. Featuring a stirring cover of Coldplay’s “Fix You” by Grammy-winning artist Kacey Musgraves, the film emphasizes Chipotle’s mission to “Cultivate A Better World” by showcasing the struggles and opportunities facing America’s family farmers.
Animation Case Study by Nexus Studios
Campaign Results
As part of Chipotle’s “Cultivate A Better World” platform, A Future Begins became the company’s most socially engaged and cost-effective branded content, surpassing its Super Bowl ad. The campaign combined artistry, nostalgia, and activism to inspire audiences and reinforce Chipotle’s mission of supporting sustainable agriculture and family farms.
Social Reach: 50M+ views, including 11M+ on YouTube and 27M+ on TikTok.
Spotify Impact: 4.7M+ organic streams of Kacey Musgraves’ Fix You.
Snapchat Engagement:
32.8M+ impressions.
Average interaction of 21 seconds (exceeding Snapchat’s benchmark of 14–16 seconds).
Top 20 Snapchat Lens of 2021.
YouTube Performance: Best completion rates for any Chipotle content ever.
PR Success: 484 stories and 357M+ earned media impressions.
Search Impact: 58% increase in relative search volume.
Advocacy: 13K+ new signatures on the national petition for the 2023 Farm Bill.
Record-breaking QR Engagement: 5M Chipotle bags featuring mini-posters and QR codes achieved unprecedented interaction.
Awards Expertise
Our approach underscored the campaign’s powerful narrative, creative execution, and cultural impact. We customized award entries to highlight its strengths in purpose-driven storytelling, creative excellence, and measurable success. By strategically targeting categories and crafting compelling submissions, we ensured the campaign resonated with juries across global award shows, gaining widespread recognition and solidifying Chipotle’s reputation for impactful, socially conscious marketing.