The Case of Chipotle's Scarecrow

PETS International Marketing April 2015 Successfully using games as a marketing tool The case of Chipotle’s Scarecrow By: Joost Rietveld In the December 2014 issue of PETS International, I provided demographic statistics of video game players as well as some examples of virtual pet games. In this article, I delve into the use of video games for advertising purposes, or ‘advergames’. Advergames can be used at various levels of intensity to promote products, organisations and viewpoints. Taking Chipotle’s Scarecrow as an example, I outline the value, use, and some success metrics for games as a marketing tool. Chipotle’s Scarecrow campaign for its burritos and tacos went against the Chipotle’s Scarecrow was released on In September 2013, restaurant chain grain with promoting its corporate ethos to September 12, 2013 for Apple’s iOS platform Chipotle Mexican Grill set out to promote its the outside world. Instead of opting for a (iPhone and iPad). After five days, the new corporate initiative ‘Food With Integrity’ traditional marketing campaign, Chipotle adventure game had already accumulated (FWI). The FWI initiative was meant to draw contracted digital production agency 300,000 downloads and stormed Apple’s US attention to Chipotle’s emphasis on sourcing Moonbot for the development of a mobile game charts. At the same time, the animated sustainably (i.e. local and organic) grown video game accompanied by an animated short film got over 5 million views on food. The low-cost restaurant chain known digital short film, both titled ‘The Scarecrow’. YouTube, fuelled by coverage by The New York Times and numerous other publications applauding the campaign. Venturebeat labelled the Scarecrow campaign as ‘one of the most successful marketing campaigns in history’. Since then, the video game has continued to do well, and the video has had nearly 14 million views on YouTube. Value of games as a marketing tool Chipotle is by no means the first firm to apply advergaming, the use of video games for advertising purposes, as a promotional strategy. A wide range of firms has successfully used the interactive medium to promote its products, organisation or Graph derived from App Annie’s analytics tool (www.appannie.com) (corporate) viewpoints. The first advergame 84 www.petsinfo.net April 2015 Marketing PETS International Joost Rietveld [email protected] www.strategyguide.nl/gjrietveld was the computer game Lunar Lander (1973), has been designed and produced from the song is performed by a Grammy Award where players can land their spaceship next ground up. As with the example of Chipotle’s winning artist. to a McDonald’s restaurant and have lunch. Scarecrow, the development of these games Since the advent of social and mobile is often outsourced to firms that have the Second, the game was offered to players gaming platforms such as Facebook, iOS, and production of advergames as their core- free of charge. In a landscape where other – Android in 2008, advergaming has enjoyed a business. Digital production agencies such non-advergaming – products are competing surge in popularity. Current examples of as Moonbot make a bid for commissioned for consumers’ dollars, advergames can get advergames include KLM (Aviation Empire work from contractors such as Chipotle, or an ahead by offering something that’s fun and for iOS and Android), Burger King (Sneak King intermediary, such as Ogilvy & Mather, that free. In the end, advergames are ‘just’ an for Xbox and Xbox 360), and Barclaycard is responsible for a contractor’s entire advertising medium meant to gain maximum (Waterslide Extreme for iOS). marketing campaign. exposure. Advergames offer a dynamic, engaging, and Given the unpredictable outcome of video Third, the video game was integrated into a social form of proliferation that cannot be game development efforts, digital wider marketing campaign for Chipotle’s FWI offered easily by other media. There are a production agencies are often selected by initiative. The animated short film was great many advantages to using games as a virtue of their track-record and the look-and- released in conjunction with the video game promotional vehicle: feel of their previous projects. Projects are and referenced the game before ending. • the entertainment value of games makes executed and delivered on the basis of Additionally, both were accompanied by a them a particularly sticky and engaging guidelines set out by the request for dedicated Scarecrow mini-website that fit form of advertising, resulting in high proposal (RFP) with which the agency into Chipotle’s wider push for the FWI levels of brand awareness and brand initially won the bid. Informed by the initiative. engagement; contractor’s objectives, a project’s • due to their digital and standalone nature, guidelines demarcate the production Where The Scarecrow could have received advergames can easily be shared by trajectory in objective (e.g. deliverables, more kudos was in its platform distribution people and thus have the power to go viral budget, timeline, platforms, genre) and strategy. Certain video game platforms can and spread at no additional cost; subjective (e.g. art direction, entertainment be easily grouped together from a • video games are often surrounded by value, quality) terms. production standpoint. Mobile gaming communities of enthusiast players that platforms such as Apple’s iOS and Google’s last until long after a game’s initial release. The costs of an advergame highly depends Android share a similar technological Advergames can thus create strong brand on the amount of bells and whistles infrastructure and can be easily produced communities of loyal consumers; demanded and can range from $10,000 for in tandem. In cases like these, it pays off • games offer the ability to collect rich and (€9,000) for re-skinning existing games up to to span the widest possible market range by detailed data about players, either at the $500,000 (€460,000) for more elaborate releasing games simultaneously onto time of registration (basic demographics offerings. multiple platforms. such as gender, age, and location), or by tracking player behaviour with various Advergaming, getting it right In my third and final article for PETS objects (e.g. customisation of in-game While there are some difficulties in International, I will present a set of products). predicting and measuring an advergame’s guidelines for when to use various forms of In short, advergames can be a great market performance, it is clear to see why Chipotle’s advergaming and how to select the right mix research tool offering rich insights for Scarecrow was bound to be successful. of platform(s) for distribution. improved market segmentation and customer targeting. First of all, Scarecrow’s production values The author is in no way associated with Chipotle’s are exceptionally high. The game was Scarecrow, Moonbot, or the game’s contractor Production process of advergames produced by a reputable team that put effort Chipotle Mexican Grill. Several advergaming studios The aforementioned examples all comprise into designing a distinct visual style and were contacted for some of the insights underlying bespoke advergames in which a new game quality gameplay. Even the game’s theme this article. www.petsinfo.net 85.

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