Chipotle: Super excited about cheese, maybe not so much about our collective IQ

Wednesday morning, I was on my way into work and I had the radio on because I'm not smart enough to remember every day that I always own an iPod and can listen to music that I like whenever I want. Anyway, an ad came on for Chipotle Mexican Grill and it struck me as unusual. Once I got to work, I wrote them an email (because priorities) and asked them about it. Here it is, along with their response.


"This morning, I heard an ad for Chipotle on the radio and the announcer was talking about cheese and how Chipotle uses it in various menu items. He went to great lengths to enunciate certain words and explain how cheese is a dairy product produced by cows who eat grass, as though he was explaining these concepts to a very slow-witted or stupid audience.
My question is why?
I'm not insulted or offended. I don't even think it's necessarily a bad idea. I mean, we are consumers and it's an indisputable fact that many of us are extremely stupid. There are many successful companies that would have gone out of business long ago if this wasn't true. But it's pretty uncommon for companies to acknowledge this fact, so I'm just wondering what the circumstances behind this current radio advertising campaign might be.
Thanks!"

"Clark,

I'm so glad our ad sparked your interest; that is exactly what it was designed to do. We not only want to cultivate great food, but also cultivate great thought. I am relieved to hear that you were not insulted by this campaign because that was not our intention at all. We are super excited about our cheese because it is so deliciously perfect; even down to where it comes from. Our Food With Integrity mission is at the core of our identity and our advertising campaign is designed to give you a sneak peek.

If you are interested in learning more about why we want to celebrate our cheese, please learn more about our Food With Integrity program on our website: http://www.chipotle.com/en-us/fwi/fwi.aspx

Thanks for having an open mind about our advertisement and we hope to see you in one of restaurants soon!

Sincerely,
Stephanie

Fundraising Coordinator
Chipotle Mexican Grill"