And the Grammy goes to... Chipotle?

One week after The Superbowl and the ad-related buzz is focused on a Grammy commercial? Call me crazy, but the two-and-a-half-minute Chipotle Mexican Grill ad "Back to the Start" that ran on CBS Sunday upstaged not only all of the Superbowl ads but many of that night's performers. If the ad was to be given a Grammy, it would have to be Best New Artist. Although the ad was released online in August, the Grammy placement marked Chipotle's first national television spot, according to Advertising Age. Haven't seen the ad yet? Watch it below!

Yahoo News claims that the ad is "more than just a commercial -- it was more like a message." The journey of the farmer, featured in the ad, captures the viewer on his path of self discovery. He goes from fattening his stop-motion-animated piggies with chemicals and sending them off to slaughter houses to a revelation that sends him "back to the start."

By no means, is the ad meant to convince customers to become vegetarian- as Chipotle uses a variety of meat in its menu. Rather, the ad is geared toward showing Chipotle's importance of using the finest free-range meat in its burritos and other products.

Although the ad has received a lot of attention from the general public after its Grammy debut, professionals in the advertising industry recognized its greatness while it was still in the dark to most. Ad Week listed the spot as #2 on its list of top ten ads of 2011. The ad was topped only by Volkswagen's "The Force." Ad Week called Chipotle's ad "a marvel of craft, visually and musically."

"The Scientist" cover art
from iTunes.com

The somber tune featured in the ad is a cover of Coldplay's  "The Scientist" sung by country legend, Willie Nelson. Fans of the tune can purchase his cover of the song on iTunes. All proceeds benefit the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation.

Although the majority of feedback from the ad has been positive, it has spawned a few critics. One is Zap2it who finds the commercial somewhat unsettling.

“The problem is the real takeaway- Chipotle's competition takes meat, runs it through a factory and serves it to you. Chipotle, on the hand, uses only the finest free-range beef and pigs before killing them and serving them to you. And those pigs and cows are so darn cute.” - David Eckstein, Zap2it

I tend to prefer Qdoba over Chipotle, but for this debate, sign me up for team Chiptole. I disagree with what Eckstein writes. Yes, what he said is essentially what the commercial is doing, but the overall concept of the ad shows Chiptole just as they had hope it would- cultivating a better world.