Is anyone else turned off by Quiznos Subs ad campaign?

[Bluzmann57]

I'm talking about the nasty little singing things on the T.V. ads. They look like mutant rats or some such thing like that. As long as that campaign is going on, I can't see myself buying a Quizno sub. They really screwed up imo.

[truthseeker1]

1. YES!!

My husband and I saw that ad and said WTF???? What kind of advertising is THAT? Certainly doesn't make you want to eat there.

[DenverDem]

2. I like the sandwiches

but these commercials are so disturbingly unappetizing I can't imagine eating there any time soon. I feel compelled to go into each Quiznos and implore the franchisee to call HQ and have the spots pulled. The fact that they have made a huge buy and the damn things run over and over on my favorite channels only makes it worse.

[eyesroll]

3. Spongemonkeys!

It's an exceedinly successful campaign, whether you love it or hate it, because you remember it. You're talking about it. It puts Quiznos in the public consciousness. They're getting a whole bunch of free press.

Saturday, guess where we went to lunch? (They got a pepper bar.) And it was much busier than I've seen it. Yeah, it turns a lot of people off, but others (sadly, like me) get that damned song stuck in their head (cuz they are good to us!) and eventually can't resist the siren call.

Great, now it's back in my head again.

[Pale Blue Dot]

7. Agreed. Quiznos just moved into my area.

I had no idea what they were or how their sandwiches might be different. Now, have to admit, I am intrigued and want to try one.

Part of me thinks that the sandwiches must be really good if they are going to take a chance like that.

[rocktivity]

12. You should remember an ad campaign for the RIGHT reason

to wit, it MAKES YOU WANT TO BUY THE PRODUCT. It's not supposed to make you remember that it grossed you out.

:headbang:
rocknation

[mac56]

14. Yes, you should.

In a perfect world.

But in our world, the idea is for Quizno's to distinguish itself from other nearly-identical sub shops and get you to remember their ad.

Good or bad ad? Doesn't matter, as long as it's memorable.

[Shrek]

4. Those ads are great.

I liked Quizno's anyway, so the ads won't affect my sandwich purchases. But I get a kick out of watching them.

[Red_Storm]

5. Yes but....

their cheddar cheese/broccoli soup is awesome !

[BurtWorm]

6. I thought they were disturbing the first time I saw them.

They've kind of grown on me. And I have to admit, from being totally ignorant of Quizno's before that commercial, I am now very aware of Quizno's, even to the point of knowing they toast their rolls and have a pepper bar. Now that is effective name recognition advertizing! (At least they don't rip off old rock songs.)

[underpants]

9. I don't understand how retarded rats are a good image for a restaurant

I would agree with you that I was hardly aware of Quizno's before those ads started so maybe the do work but I just have an image of those THINGS being somewhere in the restaurant and that doesn't make me want to eat there.

[BurtWorm]

13. That's a good point.

They're under the pepper bar! :o

[underpants]

15. YIKES!!!

Pepper bar

[gyopsy]

23. I agree

I also envision them being in the store. Just like how I envision "Jarrod" being associated with Subway. It just sticks with you.

Hopefully, they won't become like the Taco Bell dog from 5 years ago and this will be the one and only commercial featuring them.

[chiburb]

8. Quiznos admits that the ads turn off...

"Older viewers", but the tradeoff for the younger market is worth it. Their future is not with the old, but with the young...

[orangeotter]

18. I'm young but...

I still like to eat things that are appetizing. In those adds your eyes never even look at the food they look at these disturbing little freaks. Funny? Sure. Makes my mouth water? Not a chance.

[gyopsy]

24. Only 19 y/o

And I have a hard time supporting that kind of advertising. This from a guy who will go for almost anything (regardless of how messed up it gets) in beer commercials.

[BigMcLargehuge]

10. I believe in the power of the Spongmonkeys

they like the moon!

[pagerbear]

11. If the goal of advertising is to get you to remember the product

...then these ads have succeeded.

I don't much care for subs anyway, so although I don't much like the ads, they're not influencing my dining behavior.

[pfitz59]

16. The Ads are great

Catchy tune and memorable images. Mmmmmm, Quiznos!

[ProfessorGAC]

17. They Don't Bother Me At All

They're weird, sure. But, they don't bug me, and it is a way to keep production costs down so ad buys can be higher. I think the strategy is pretty clever.

I did, however, read a case study when i got my MBA (market strategy class) that said the days of "a commercial you hate is just as good as a commercial you love" are over. So, they are running the risk of alienating potential customers.

For instance, i will NEVER buy anything at Old Navy, because i loathe their commercials. (Not that i dress like that anyway, so they are safe.)

There was a long time in which it was believed that as long as the viewer remembered the product, the commercial was successful, but market studies (from this same text) showed that it made almost an equal number of potential customers never purchase because of the commercial as it attracted new and repeat customers.

It's a fine line, and i guess nobody would know where the line was unless some campaigns tread on or near it at times.
The Professor

[afraid_of_the_dark]

19. LOVE the sandwiches, but the spongemonkeys creep me out.

And I guess I'm probably part of the "younger market" that they are trying to reach. It is really too bad... I believe that Quizno's has the best subs, but I see those stupid creatures, and whoops! I'm not hungry anymore.

Creepy....

[commander bunnypants]

20. nasty sandwich

DDQM

[zbdent]

21. For the record, my "Bush spinning" coworker is also disturbed by

these animated mutant rats.

He's seen the commercials, I haven't. Just the pics from this site.

I'm scared (because of the rats, not that he and I agree on something.).

[gyopsy]

22. I hate those rats!

But I do love those Quiznos subs. Quiznos has such great subs (much better than Subway or Blimpie) that it was only a matter of time before they gained a large portion of the market. Surely, with all of the creative advertising they can do now in 2004, there could've been another way than show us this mutant rat spongemonkies.

[ironflange]

25. I love Quiznos

They could use Saddam and Osama in their ads and I'd still eat 'em.

[m-jean03]

26. I think these are for the pot smoking crowd,

They're the kind of thing I would have found intriguingly bizarre back in my stoner days. On the subject, did anyone think "Becoming John Malcovich" was made by and for stoners? Of course, I was stoned when I saw it...

[Bill McBlueState]

27. as long as the spongmonkeys are in the commericals

As long as the spongmonkeys are in the commericals, it means they're not in the subs. I think that's a good sign!

[chiburb]

28. Straight from Quizno's mouth:

So, in a most pleasant fashion, Hall told us why. "We want people to remember us," Hall said, noting that, with some 3,000 stores nationwide, Quiznos is a much smaller fast-food operation than behemoths such as McDonald's and Burger King. Therefore, with a commensurately smaller marketing budget, Quiznos must make a louder noise.

Love them or loathe them, those monkeys -- as is now obvious -- have done the trick for Quiznos. "They have produced a lot of discussion -- pro and con," said Hall, who also admitted he never intended to make any consumers -- and potential Quiznos customers -- mad when he let loose the monkeys.

Not surprisingly, Hall said he did some consumer research before unleashing the grotesque animals on the world, and afterward he felt confident the icons would resonate with the younger audience that most frequents Quiznos and other fast-food restaurants. It may hurt the feelings of boomer Quiznos fans to discover this, but the company feels it has to put the largest share of its ad bucks behind campaigns that resonate with its most frequent customers.

Hall, however, was reluctant to talk much about whether the monkey ads are a telling example of the lengths the ad industry must go to nowadays to come up with ever more shocking and polarizing imagery required to grab the attention of the youth market.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/lazare/cst-fin-lew23.html