Dive Brief:
- Subway has launched a national ad campaign promoting the return of Sub Club, a loyalty program the sandwich chain previously wound down 20 years ago, per news shared with Marketing Dive.
- In new TV ads from Leo New York, people in different scenarios, such as getting fibula surgery and shopping a fabric sale, drop what they’re doing when they hear that Subway is bringing back a perk that offers customers who purchase three footlong subs a fourth for free.
- “Every Fourth Footlong is Free” messaging also appears across Subway’s digital and social channels while the brand is deploying CRM and influencers for additional support. The effort looks to differentiate from other value-based QSR marketing by emphasizing entertainment over purely transactional elements, Subway said.
Dive Insight:
Subway is heralding the return of a signature loyalty program from its past with ads that lean into humor and underscore one of the biggest benefits of Sub Club. Sub Club’s revival comes as value has become more appealing to diners dealing with rising food prices, a trend that has led more QSRs to focus on price. The loyalty landscape has also evolved radically in the 20 years Sub Club spent dormant, with mobile app and CRM technology giving brands more ways to connect with customers and leverage their data to tailor marketing and promotions.
Subway is appealing to a wide range of consumers with the new campaign backing Sub Club. The ads, which are running in 30-, 15- and six-second cutdowns, open on a Subway employee announcing the refreshed Sub Club and fourth footlong free offer. Everyone from older women shopping a fabric sale to flirtatious teens in school hallways then ditch their alliterative activities to rush out and claim their sandwich. Along with the video creative, Subway is pushing the messaging on digital, social and influencer channels to drive loyalty.
Any combination of purchasing three footlongs or six six-inch subs unlocks the free fourth footlong, while the revamped and expanded Sub Club carries additional benefits. Points earned per transaction can be converted into Subway Cash that can be used on future orders. Sub Club members will also receive exclusive offers and promotions and can take advantage of existing perks like free birthday cookies.
Sub Club replaces a prior points-based MVP Rewards program, members of which were automatically switched over to Sub Club on Dec. 1. New members can sign up for Sub Club via the brand’s app or website. Those who join the program and redeem their first free footlong by Dec. 10 are also eligible to enter into a contest where winners can choose to claim either $10,000 in cash or a six-foot, 600-pound baking oven from Subway.
The holiday loyalty blitz shows Subway continuing to retool some of its marketing approach. The chain last spring appointed former PepsiCo executive Greg Lyons as its global CMO, a hire that followed Subway switching its U.S. creative account to Publicis Groupe’s Leo NY from Dentsu. In August, former Krispy Kreme Chief Growth Officer David Skena joined as Subway’s marketing chief for North America.
Other recent marketing efforts of note include an extensive tie-in with Netflix’s “Happy Gilmore 2,” a partnership that followed Subway having a noteworthy presence in the original Adam Sandler vehicle from 1996.
