Ivan and Evie

I have to admit I’m feeling all warm and fuzzy having just viewed Chipotle’s latest animated short designed to win back customers in the wake of its E.coli scare nearly a year ago.

While sales continue to sink like a stone burrito, the company introduced what was undoubtedly a pricey video featuring competing kid entrepreneurs—Ivan selling fresh squeezed orange juice and Evie selling hand made lemonade. Competitive juices escalate and Ivan and Evie keep adding products and offers to one up each other until they end up selling automated, artificial products that seem to take on a life of their own.

It’s consumerism Sesame Street style. Very effective and a good illustration of what’s happening at retail with product selection and questionable promotional activity that can get out of hand and more hazardous to a store’s relationship with consumers than helpful.

Evie and Ivan finally see the light ( I was on the edge of my seat) but I still wonder how much it will do to get Chipotle back on track. It seems to be taking a swipe at fast food competitors rather than promoting Chipotle’s products, although Ivan and Evie end up creating an animated taco.

Money well spent on the road to recovery or just a diversion that will do nothing to create loyal consumers? You decide!