Chipotle Launches Factory Farming Comedy Series On Hulu

Chipotle has been a loud voice in the anti-factory farming movement, especially with its commitment to only use naturally raised beef. Now the brand is taking its marketing techniques into new territory, launching a comedy series on Hulu that satirizes industrial agriculture and the lengths companies go to while trying to protect their image. The series, "Farmed and Dangerous," stars actor Ray Wise—aka Leland Palmer from Twin Peaks—as an oily publicist for an industrial food production company suffering a PR crisis after a video of a cow exploding at their plant goes viral.

Though the company has produced the series and branded it a "Chipotle original series," there's only one mention of the chain in the show itself, in relation to its former partnership with McDonalds.

“We think of ‘Farmed and Dangerous’ as a values-integration rather than typical product-integration,” explains Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing and development officer at Chipotle. “The show addresses issues that we think are important—albeit in a satirical way—without being explicitly about Chipotle. This approach allows us to produce content that communicates our values and entertains people at the same time.“

Daniel Rosenberg, whose company Piro helped produce the series, told the Times the series was "meant to strike large emotional chords—it's not about selling burritos." Nonetheless, the show promotes the company's agenda. Hearts will be softened, and more burritos will be folded.

This isn't the company's first foray into new marketing techniques. Last year it released an excellent animated video on the same topic that went viral, as well as a Willie Nelson-soundtracked video in 2011. "Farmed and Dangerous" debuts February 17th on Hulu and Hulu Plus; there are four episodes in the first season with plans to make subsequent seasons if the show's delightful brand of "values-integration" really keeps you coming back for more.