[B&T has updated this article.] Publicis’ Zenith has won Subway’s $32 million media account after a competitive pitch, B&T understands.
It continues the current trend of bringing media and creative under the one roof – or, as Publicis calls it “the power of one” – with the Brisbane-based Publicis Worldwide currently handling the sandwich brand’s creative.
WPP’s AKQA Media was the incumbent media agency and B&T understands the agency didn’t pitch for the business. An AKQA Media spokesperson telling B&T: “We’ve enjoyed a strong and long-standing relationship with Subway for the past 11 years. We’re incredibly proud to have had the opportunity to work with a great global brand, with a first class local team to deliver some truly game changing work.”
It’s believed Zenith Brisbane will handle the bulk of the spend, although it is a national account.
B&T has contacted Zenith for comment but had not received a reply prior to publication.
It caps off an impressive run of late for Zenith, having recently won the media for Rio Tinto, Pet Culture, Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, Disney, TikTok and Fiji Kava.
Subway presently has about seven per cent of Australia’s $20 billion a year fast food industry. However, its fortunes have declined of late as consumer tastes have changed.
According to industry data, some 1000 Subway stores have closed nationally over the past five years, leaving the US-based chain with 1300 locations Australia-wide. There are 970 McDonald’s in Australia.
However, the brand has ramped up its marketing and stunts of late via creative agency Publicis Worldwide. One of the better ones was from August when the brand built a giant nine-metre long ‘sub’ and set sail on Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown, New Zealand. Check it out below:
