Subway & ITV
When lunchtime was losing its spark, it was time for some much-needed LAUNCH-time!
Here’s how ITV helped Subway to relaunch lunch with gusto. From hero ads and continuity stunts to Sam Thompson inspiring ITV staff - we saw joy and better bites return to the midday munch.
Now that’s something to chew over!
A little background
Subway’s strong high street presence meant it was easy to find - but with a wave of cheaper competitors crowding in, the brand was slipping from consumers’ minds, especially at lunchtime - its most important moment.
None of this was easy to swallow. Footfall was declining, and Subway’s once powerful pillars of customisation, freshness and health were starting to feel a little tired in a crowded category.
Our insight
This wasn’t just Subway’s challenge - it was a national trend. Brits had fallen out of love with lunch.
63% of us face ‘decision fatigue’ by midday.
Most aren’t taking a proper break (we average just 33 minutes!).
It was time to say goodbye to lifeless lettuce and joyless sandwiches.
The big idea
We would create The Great Lunchtime Relaunch: a coordinated ITV launch campaign, built to reawaken Britain’s appetite for lunchtime, and put Subway back at its epicentre.
With a launch moment designed to feel like a national announcement, we used ITV’s most recognisable assets - from continuity announcers and IP to talent and channels - to drive visibility and grab the nation’s attention.
Making it happen
Like all great launches, we began with a bang.
At precisely 12 noon on Monday 24th March - and every weekday that followed - all six ITV channels (ITV1, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, ITVBe and ITVX) launched The Great Lunchtime Relaunch in unison.
In a first-of-its-kind synchronised roadblock, ITV’s continuity announcers reacted live to that day’s hero Subway product, before abandoning the sound booth to get one for themselves.
To build on Subway’s motivating, ‘player/coach’ brand identity, we brought in the high-energy, much-loved Sam Thompson - Made In Chelsea star, I’m A Celeb winner, and real-life Subway fan.
At the core of the campaign were 60” co-branded ads across ITV favourites like The Chase, Sport and Daytime - all premium spots for reaching hungry lunch-goers.
In the ads, Sam took viewers behind the scenes at ITV to call out uninspired staff lunches.
He upgraded a runner’s sandwich on a daytime set, urged The Chase’s Vixen to take a proper break, and red-carded the ITV Sport crew’s vending machine habits.
Finally, he issued his call to arms: there’s a better lunch out there… with Subway!
These were supported by further ITV continuity interruptions, where Sam asked announcers to describe their perfect lunches, to showcase the breadth of Subway’s range.
Finally, a weekday ITV2 daytime sponsorship gave Subway a consistent presence in hungry moments, with tailored idents running from mid-morning to early evening - a smart, always-on layer to support the big launch.
The results
Lunch is back on the menu!
Across the 11-week campaign, Subway delivered:
+6.6% YOY sales growth
+0.6% YOY increase in footfall (vs. high street which was flat/marginally down)
Became the fastest-growing brand in its category (YouGov)
+18% attention, +87% quality perceptions, +20% consideration
60” launch ad outscored the category average on System One’s Star rating by +16%
Continuity takeovers outperformed ITV norms by +45% for Star rating
Client quote
“This partnership shows the power of combining a fantastic platform like ITV, with a passionate cheerleader like Sam, to rally the nation and put lunch at Subway back on the menu. It was great to be able to dip into some of the brilliant properties that ITV are famous for, and we are really pleased with both the hero creative and the supporting continuity content as well.”– Matt Flint, Senior Marketing Manager Media & Partnerships, Subway
Media Owner: Media Idea - Launch
