Once associated with the simple slogan “eat fresh”, fast food franchise SUBWAY has yet to recover from a scandal that sent their spokesperson of fifteen years Jared Fogle to prison for a grand total of, well, fifteen years. Back in August, thirty-three branding experts gathered on Momentology to contribute strategies for the company, as they attempted to gradually move beyond the incident and repair their reputation.
Our Chief Creative Officer Nancy Harhut was among the panel. “Subway will need to find something new to call its own,” she wrote. “Perhaps they can stake a claim to healthier food, made the way you want it – quickly. There may be some traction to be had there, if they can deliver on the promise.” Ultimately, she concluded that, “Subway needs to get people thinking of someone other than Jared as quickly as possible.”
Multiple attempts were made to achieve these goals. Shortly after news of the Fogle investigation broke in early July 2015, a series of three ads emphasizing nutrition, sustainability and speed of service appeared on SUBWAY’s YouTube channel (where comments are conveniently disabled at the moment). Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota briefly stepped in as the new face of the brand, and efforts have been made to latch onto football season and the release of the upcoming Star Wars film.
But the truth is, we are still talking about Jared Fogle. His name has a tendency to creep in anytime the media discusses SUBWAY, because we’ve yet to witness anything so remarkable that it allows us to forget the unfortunate association. Tasteless jokes and criminal references alike are still being made every time we hear the name “SUBWAY”.
The voice in your head telling you to #SaveLunchBreak is actually the voice of @MrTonyHale. https://t.co/IDycPbaEfm
— SUBWAY® (@SUBWAY) December 14, 2015
Look no further than the company’s latest #SaveLunchBreak campaign. SUBWAY enlisted the help of Veep and Arrested Development star Tony Hale, and the response on Twitter has primarily focused on Jared. Even Nancy herself quipped via email, “Am I the only one who sees the irony that this new actor is best known for a show called Arrested Development?”
However, this could be a step in the right direction. Hale is a two-time Emmy Award winner and beloved for his comical roles as Buster Bluth and Gary Walsh. Although it’s not likely that he will become the brand’s official spokesperson, his alignment with SUBWAY calls to mind yet another comment Nancy made on Momentology:
“Celebrities become authorities of a sort when they endorse a product, even if there’s not an especially close relationship between them and the product they endorse. Similarly, ‘someone like me’ who uses a product with favorable results will always be motivating to that product’s target market. We, as people, assume that person has done the research, or knows something we don’t. It’s the kind of decision-making shortcut we all rely on.”
This, of course, raises a few other questions – is Tony Hale a big enough celebrity to influence consumers? Is he funny enough to make us forget Jared? Do we trust him enough? Do we actually believe he’s a fan of SUBWAY, or do we just sit and wonder how much he was paid to align himself with a damaged brand?
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