Andrew Loper

RCL Sec 27
Rhetorical Analysis
Chipotles Scarecrow

In the three minute, twenty-two second commercial, The Scarecrow

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUtnas5ScSE) put out by Chipotle we see a
masterful use of rhetoric especially through their expert use of music. The
commercial plays with the idea of ethos and kairos, heavily implores pathos and
practically ignores logos. The commercial depicts a cartoon scarecrow on his way to
work at a food processing plant. Inside all of the animals are drugged and herded by
seemingly evil robot crows. The scarecrow seems to have remorse about working in
such a hypocritical industry so when he gets back home a little house outside the
city limits, he gets an idea when he sees the signature Chipotle pepper. He takes a
truck full of home grown vegetables into the city and sets up shop in a little garage
where he cooks the vegetables to perfection and puts them in a pretty little taco.
This entices a young consumer and a banner is released over his garage saying
cultivate a better world then the commercial moves to advertise a game based on
the scarecrow and then it presents us with the Chipotle logo on a white background
all with the same music playing in the background. This commercial was almost like
a short film in its beautiful production and its excellent plot development. This
commercial plays with your head and makes you forget completely that they are
advertising something by creating an obvious protagonist vs antagonist plotline
villainizing the processed food industry and making you root for the organic food
industry.

Of the branches of rhetoric, the most use is most definitely made of pathos
but seeing as this is a rhetorical analysis, it just wouldnt be fair to not address the
others. Ethos is definitely used but not until the very end. After the spin-off game
advertisement was over and the Chipotle logo appeared on the screen. It was, in my
opinion, a statement not only creating an association with the short film, but also
asking you to trust the statements made within because of the good reputation and
credibility of the company that we all know and love. Kairos was also taken
advantage of seeing as Chipotle is riding on a wave of popular trends. It is trendy to
like, eat and talk about Chipotle but it is also perhaps even trendier to be
organic/vegan/vegetarian. This movement is something that has only gained serious
momentum in more recent years and so this commercials effect is heightened as a
consequence. Logos on the other hand is completely ignored. There are no logical
arguments made and nothing was in your face to disagree with. There was no
correlation between the ideas and themes presented in the commercial and the
practices of Chipotle Mexican Grill, but perhaps that is the best marketing strategy
accompany could implore. If they give you something pretty with nothing to debate
then you almost have no choice but to agree, creating a positive association
between the company and its products and the values packaged for absorption in
the video.
Pathos is the most heavily used strategy throughout the commercial. The
animation style was one very close to all of our hearts. The smooth-line graphics
and Pixar-style quasi-Claymation is the same kind of animation we have seen in all
of our modern animated classics like A Bugs Life, Toy Story, Finding Nemo and
countless others and so the commercial is taken in with a nostalgia-influenced
acceptance allowing it to be a subtle pathway for the values of the video to enter

the minds of the audience. The plot details are a perfect recipe for playing with
human emotions because of what we have been conditioned to see as good and
evil. The use of a scarecrow as a protagonist in film can be traced all the way back
to the Wizard of OZ and factories and crows have pretty much always been used
as foreboding signs of gloom and oppression (crows normally being signs whereas
factories can be both signs and active perpetrators of gloom and oppression). The
use of color also herded our emotions in one direction or another. The palette was
light in the opening scene but quickly turns dark which immediately creates the
feeling of distrust or unease (with the processed food industry). The palette is dark
and cold throughout the factory scenes and then turns warm when he gets and
carries out the idea to grow and prepare his own food for the unwittingly ignorant
city population causing us to create positive feelings associated with the plot point
and with the social movement that it represents. The most effective use of pathos in
this commercial was most definitely the song that backed the entire commercial.
The song Pure Imagination written for the 1971 movie Willy Wonka & the
Chocolate Factory sung by Gene Wilder is covered by singer-songwriter Fiona Apple
and excellently placed in this commercial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=9BkBGdnUNSk). This is a song that is nostalgic for at least three generations and
so the familiar tune reimagined, intrigues and entices its audience. The song comes
in two moods, one more electronic and dark mood and the other a light, orchestral
one. In pairing these two vastly different production styles we are informed as to
exactly how we should be feeling throughout the commercial. The choice of singer
on this song is perfect because of her light girly tone, when paired with dark,
electronic music, she creates an air of fear but when paired with an orchestral
setting she sounds light and happy. The same singer singing in the same way but

over two different production styles completely changes the mood of each section
of the song while keeping it cohesive so as to lull you towards each emotional
conclusion. The song itself is a call, Come with me, and youll see, a new world of
pure imagination Want to change the world? Theres nothing to it, saying that the
power to change the world is in the palm of your hand and so it is perfectly married
with the organic/vegan/vegetarian message which calls to everyday people to make
a difference in their own lives. Music has an obvious effect on all those who listen to
it. It is proven that through music, memories can be retrieved and new memories
can be solidified so by using the power of music so skillfully in this advertisement,
they won the argument without having to argue.
The Scarecrow, put out by Chipotle, did exactly what it set out to do. By
creating an emotional landscape fortified by the strength of the movement it
supports and the credibility of the company endorsing it, it created a positive
association between Chipotle and the values put forth in the
organic/vegan/vegetarian movement though Chipotles practices do not quite
adhere to them. By disregarding logical arguments and imploring the use of a
multifaceted, perfectly produced song Chipotle was able to get us to leave our
reason at home and follow them into the vegetarian sunset where no animated
animals have to be drugged or killed, even though their biggest sellers contain
meat.

References:
1. Chipotle Mexican Grill. The Scarecrow. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUtnas5ScSE>.
2. Wilder, Gene. Pure Imagination. By Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse.
MGM, 1971. MP3.