Subway knew that to stay fresh it needed to refresh. In Summer 21, they planned to launch their biggest brand overhaul to-date to change consumer perception of Subway. The ‘Eat Fresh Refresh’ campaign was tasked to jolt consumers to reconsider their opinions of Subway and visit the restaurants. To do this, Subway re-evaluated and reimagined their guest experience from top to bottom, including revamping the entire menu. We used new channels, unique ad formats and unconventional media to not only change the public’s perception of the brand but also reach users while they are on the go and near a restaurant. People emerging from isolation after COVID were filling up more frequently at gas/petrol stations and for an average fill up time of c. 4 minutes, we had a captive audience.

Subway knew from research that QSRs are the #1 post-fuel up destination and our analysis of the prevalence and proximity of Subway restaurants (88% of locations within 10 mi) would make this a successful channel choice. The COVID-19 pandemic caused consumers to continue choosing driving over public transportation to ensure cleanliness and safety. With travel on rise as restrictions loosened, GSTV was a key place to reach on-the-go consumers.

The campaign consisted of a 42-day takeover inclusive of custom 'Word of the Day' and Weather creative as well as branded spots. To gain a read on a more standard activation, dentsu also negotiated a 28-day bonus activation inclusive of one branded spot that ran after the takeover. The flight also included digital re-targeting in New Jersey (where you cannot pump your own gas) to ensure that we were reaching consumers in each state, which then acted as a comparison to measure the impact of GSTV.

Foot Traffic Performance:

GSTV drove an overall Cost Per Incremental Visit (CPIV) which outperformed the QSR benchmark by 585%

The added value media portion drove the most efficient CPIV relative to any partner or tactic outperforming the QSR benchmark by 90%

The test area of OLV re-targeting in New Jersey delivered a CPIV much less effective than GSTV.

Brand Lift Metrics:

Out of all measured metrics (ad recall, favorability, purchase intent), lift between the exposed and control groups was the most significant for ad recall

The greatest lift for ad recall was seen in the A18-34 demographic and the A18-49 cohort closely followed behind

Positive lift was achieved despite lift for brand favorability being the lowest within the A18-34 demographic.

Messaging:

'So much new' tagline association to Subway was significantly higher in those exposed to GSTV messaging, with the highest seen in the A18+ and A25-54 demographics