After more than a year of culinary tinkering with 100+ recipes explored, the new Subway Series menu is live—so is the banter between two GOAT announcers, Charles Barkley and Tony Romo.
Subway has launched its biggest advertising campaign yet to feature the best sandwiches in its history, the Subway Series. Subway’s culinary team applied its nearly six decades of sandwich skill and tested hundreds of recipes to create truly mouthwatering subs as candidates for the new Subway Series menu, and only 12 made the final roster.
The new campaign reveals the backstory of this all-star sandwich lineup, and like all celebrated professional sports teams, that story of success begins with a draft.
The campaign features Charles Barkley – the voice of Subway’s Eat Fresh Refresh – who is now in front of the camera alongside Tony Romo in a special Subway Series draft telecast, providing lively, color commentary on the 12 sandwiches that earned the coveted spots in the new Subway Series roster.
Each sandwich receives a full breakdown of their “stats” and in-depth crave analysis, featuring the signature flair and expertise of these two beloved sports legends and broadcasters. To match the Subway Series flavor power, Barkley and Romo are paired with a panel of fellow all-star athletes:
- Seven-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles
- Four-time NBA champion and two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry
- Five-time Pro Bowler and four-time Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski
- Fourteen-time MLB all-star and five-time World Series champion Derek Jeter
- Five-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion Marshawn Lynch
The group will be featured together and separately across channels and formats, including broadcast and digital. This star-studded line-up of athletes and sandwiches reflect the next big step in Subway’s monumental transformation.
“The launch of the Subway Series is more than a continuation of our Eat Fresh Refresh campaign, it is the next big step in our transformation journey and positions Subway as THE sandwich destination for guests who are seeking a delicious, craveable and freshly prepared meal they can feel good about choosing,” said Carrie Walsh, Subway Global Chief Marketing Officer. “The Subway Series is proof that Subway is unafraid to reinvent itself in the pursuit of being the best, just like the athletes that are telling our story.”
The Subway Series campaign was developed and executed by an interagency team led by DENTSU CREATIVE and Carat on media planning, United Entertainment Group for all athlete partnerships and creative integration, and with additional activation support from FleishmanHillard, Tombras, Jack Morton and Proof Advertising. Watch Subway’s biggest refresh below:
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“Once we tasted these new sandwiches, we knew we were working with a roster of GOATs, and we were thrilled to bring this story to life with eight GOATs from the wide world of sports,” added DENTSU CREATIVE ECD, Jason Stefanik.
“The Subway Series menu will be available permanently, but you never know whether some of the sandwiches will be traded in the future,” adds DENTSU CREATIVE EVP of Client Leadership, Shaheen Salimi.
The spots, directed by O Positive’s Kenny Herzog, were shot all over the country over four days—spread out over three months to accommodate busy schedules of all-star talent from LA, Dallas, Miami and elsewhere.
The Subway Series release marks the biggest menu and ordering experience change in Subway’s nearly 60-year history and continues the brand’s Eat Fresh Refresh transformation journey, which began last summer with more than 20 new and refreshed ingredients.
CREDITS:
CLIENT: SUBWAY
- Carrie Walsh – Global CMO
- Robin Seward – SVP, Marketing Strategy & Planning
- Cristina Wells – VP, US Marketing
- Aileen Echenique – VP, Brand Creative + Activation
- Spencer Holmes – Director, Video and Digital
- Maria Hodgson – Marketing Manager, Video & Digital
- Cosette Martinez – Associate Marketing Manager, Video & Digital
- Audel Alvarez – Brand Creative Director
- Jeff Stallings – VP, Media & Channels
- Shannon Stowers – Senior Director, Consumer & Product Insights
- Claudia Guzman – Director of Brand Insights
AGENCY: DENTSU CREATIVE
- Ida Rezvani – Chief Client Officer
- Angela Johnson – Client Development Officer
- Shaheen Salimi – SVP, Group Account Director
- Jason Stefanik – Executive Creative Director
- Alisa Sengel – Group Creative Director
- Declan Byrnes-Enoch – Creative Director
- Alex Augustinos – Creative Director
- Melissa Leake – Senior Art Director
- Allison Tanenhaus – Senior Copywriter
- Carole McCarty – Executive Producer
- Lauren Lampasi – Senior Producer
- John-James Richardson – Comms Planning Director
- Kelly Harrington – VP, Account Management
- Tatiana Alban – Account Director
- Elizabeth Romme – Account Supervisor
- Samantha Carter – Assistant Account Executive
- Elizabeth Vodenicker – Assistant Account Executive
- Stephanie Adams – SVP, Media Planning
PARTNERS:
UEG:
- Josh Barnes – VP, Client Management
- Chris Simmons – VP, Celebrity & Influencer
- Casey Grochocinski – Director, Talent & Influencers
- Charlie Benjamin – Senior Manager, Rights & Partnerships
- Hannah Malin – Senior Manager, Talent & Influencer
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