Subway has used its latest marketing campaign to appeal to the inner-most urge every food lover has, but would never act upon, especially in a post-COVID world.
The campaign, which features images of hungry faces pressed up against the glass as they watch a Subway Sandwich Artist build a mouth-watering sub, has been splashed across billboards, bus stops, and TV screens around the country.
Subway’s head of marketing, Rodica Titeica, said the campaign, aptly called ‘Sandwich Love’, is a just tribute to the love and devotion consumers feel for their Subway favourites.
“We’ve brought to life the passion and anticipation felt by foodies as they watch their ever-so-specific masterpiece being prepared in front of their eyes,” she said.
“This is the moment before achieving pure, gastronomical pleasure with their first bite, and we wanted to convey the satisfaction that we have in being able to deliver that euphoria to our customers.
“To love food, and love good food, is one of the simple pleasures in life, and this brand campaign reminds consumers that Subway has always offered a more nutritious yet tasty option to ‘Eat Fresh’, which explains why it has been a fiercely adored brand for over 50 years.”
At the helm of the creative direction of the campaign is Ryan Petie, executive creative director at Publicis Worldwide.
He agrees that the inspiration for the campaign is owing to Subway fans themselves, and the musical aspect that invigorated the ads has become a stand-alone campaign in itself.
“Subway customers love their specific combination of flavours, and what better way to express their absolute devotion than the iconic power ballad,” Petie said.
“We took a classic rock genre and turned it towards our fan’s favourite Subway ingredients, creating the first-ever ‘Sub Love Songs’.
“It’s about evoking the emotion that Subway fans have felt for years, and we know that when consumers hear the Sub Love Songs, they’ll feel that Sub Love feeling up against the glass.”
The Sub Love creative is making a splash in multiple TV properties including within AFL and NRL matches, on large-format digital out-of-home assets, and across multiple social media platforms such as YouTube and and Vevo – even making an appearance prior to Doja Cat’s new-release song that went live on the platform last week.
The Sub Love Songs will be released exclusively via Subway in-restaurant radio and will also dominate Spotify ad space until 29 August.
The three-month-long campaign is the fifth produced by Publicis Worldwide since its appointment as the brand’s creative agency of note for Australia in mid-2020.