Go Big, Go Subway – The world’s first fully interactive 3D billboard. In a world media first, we launched an interactive 3D billboard for Subway, allowing passers-by to virtually build their dream Sub on-screen.

With the global pandemic, our audience had missed out on Summer, holidays and living in a life of mostly restricted experiences. And this was most true for Subway’s Gen Z audience.

So, when 2022 rolled round and restrictions dropped, they were looking to go BIG.

But people weren’t ordering in or eating in store, they wanted to be out, so QSR brands needed to fight to remain front of mind.

When it comes to going BIG, who does it better than Subway? With gigantic Footlongs, packed with heaps of veggies and sauces, Subway own’s big like no other.

We had an opportunity to tap into it, encouraging our audience not to settle for anything other than the biggest this summer.

We bought our Subs to life in the biggest way possible - on a gigantic 3D billboard site in Westfield Stratford City.

Huge Subs towering over the audience, boldly celebrating our scale and matching audience appetite for going big this Summer – ‘GO BIG. GO SUBWAY.’

But we just didn’t stop at scale, we wanted to go even bigger. So, in a global media first, we made the billboard interactive – allowing passers-by to control the action themselves.

Running over the weekend of August 20th to 21st 2022, the innovative 3D out-of-home experience provided the public with the opportunity to customise their ultimate Sub on-screen, before seeing their creation come to life.

Through simply scanning a QR code on the screen, consumers were taken through to a custom microsite whereby they could control the action on the billboard and build their own favourite Sub in 3D. Subway always puts customisation in the hands of their customers and this took it to the biggest scale possible.

Anyone who took part not only saw their Sub (and name!) in shining 3D lights but was also gifted a voucher for money off a Sub instore to ensure we were driving to purchase – able to be redeemed whenever they needed to go big. A lucky few were even surprised with their Sub there and then which had been speedily made at a nearby store – instant gratification with a moment of surprise and delight!

The key KPI for this campaign was around driving overheard conversation far beyond those who saw it live on screen – a ‘wow’ moment which would show the brand matching the audience energy and behaving in an innovative way.

Our wrap up film of the event, was shared on Subway’s social media channels and with editorial press – which was picked up by key publications in the UK, Japan, Germany and the US as the two-day event spanned far beyond those who were there in person - with incredible media quotes and accolades from influential publications reasserting Subway behaving in a modern way:

“Subway has found a striking way to demonstrate customisation through tech innovation” – Contagious Magazine (Global)

“How to make a 3D billboard Ad people won’t forget” + Ad of the Day: Subway’s 3D billboard enables virtual sandwich making – The Drum (UK)