Denver Egotist Takes Stand Against Brand Molestation.

cheapotle-campaign.jpg

"The big, fat, silver torpedo that is the Chipotle burrito is as iconic (in this city, anyway) as an Absolut bottle or a Converse shoe," lauds the Denver Egotist, bringing to mind billboards that have taken us by surprise more than once.

"So what better way to start off a brand new campaign than to ditch the thing you're most famous for in favor of a bland, new Taco Bell-styled menu and some insipid value statements that are saturating the market in this shitty economy. Oh, and how about a new logo, too? Something that could sit nicely on the shelf at Target with the other Archer Farms produce?"

Butler Shine Stern & Partners is on the receiving end of this rant. The well-intentioned agency basically turned the Chipotle brand into something we can't quite recognize (although Archer Farms is in the ballpark). As a result, it's generated the rage of the Denver Egotist, which decided to express its angst with No More Cheapotle -- full-on war against Chipotle's current positioning.

Cheapotle.com features spins on the old ads Chipotle's actually known for: twitchy black text, stark white backgrounds and naughty wordplay, except the Egotist is a lot more blunt.

"Bring back the ads with balls," it snarls in one instance.

Hear, hear.

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Comments



Comments

I hope the people behind the rogue ad campaign also bother to spend time on things that really matter to a community. I mean, really? This is what someone got worked up about? How about taking your money elsewhere if you really hate the ads so much?

Posted by: Stacia on May 26, 2009 5:00 PM

Right on!

What a freakin' disaster. As a Denver resident who has a love hate relationship with Chipotle, I am absolutely appalled by this new look and feel. It looks cheap and feels like crap.

Great words... love the Archer Farms reference. Yes, brilliant time to ditch your brand and go for some low-ball angle.

I am in the Life-Performance Food (FullStrength.com) business and the last thing I would dare to do is to start competing with the low-ball brands, the Taco Bells of my industry... not in this time. Must be some brilliant "money people" driving this fear-based, contracted move.

I love the Egotsist campaign and salute the stand!

In Strength,
Shawn Phillips
www.FullStrength.com
www.aTimeforStrength.com

PS My love hate with Chipotle? I love the cleanliness of and the food in general. I hate the portions--which are too large and the excess calories they can serve up. And now I can switch thier brand from Love to Hate...

Posted by: Shawn Phillips on May 26, 2009 5:55 PM