Subway Celebrates Its Biggest Ever Menu Transformation with Saatchi & Saatchi

Today Subway launched a new campaign, ‘Two ways to Subway,’ for the brand’s biggest UK-menu innovation to date, the Subway Series.

The new campaign includes an eight-figure investment, one of the largest marketing spends in the UK and Ireland in Subway’s nearly 25-year history, launching on May 31st across multi-media channels, including TV, VOD, OOH, PR and social.

The campaign celebrates Subway Series, the brand’s biggest ever menu transformation. For the first time in Subway’s history, guests now have two ways to Subway across its 2,300 plus restaurants. Guests can choose from 15 all new irresistible chef-inspired creations, for a simple, fast, and tasty Subway experience, or continue to create their own custom made Sub, Wrap, SubMelt, or Salad options.

The creative, developed by Saatchi & Saatchi, will kick-start a nationwide debate highlighting that there are two types of people in this world. There are those who prefer to customise and create their own meal and those who are very happy to enjoy someone else’s creation. The question is, which one are you?

Leaning into the fact that the UK and Ireland are a nation of sandwich lovers, eating 3.6 billion sandwiches on average per year, the campaign aims to spark curiosity, debate and nationwide conversation, and help recruit an entirely different consumer to Subway.

The work is Subway and Saatchi & Saatchi’s first major Subway brand campaign since the creative agency was appointed in 2022. It will launch first in the UK and Ireland, closely followed by a roll out across other markets in the EMEA region, including France and Germany.

Reaching 96% of 18–44-year-olds through nationwide AV, spanning linear TV, VOD, OLV and radio, the brand will invite people to pick a side, before bold OOH activations that will spotlight a selection of the best new recipes on the menu. PR, influencers and social will also be working to bring the debate to life, whilst CRM and Loyalty will be engaging the brands' regular guests with 'the new way' to Subway.

The new campaign is supported by Publicis Groupe agencies MSL UK, Taylor Herring, Digitas, and media agency EssenceMediacom and Teneo for PR in the Republic of Ireland.

Louise Wardle, vice president of marketing EMEA at Subway said: “This one of the biggest marketing spends ever for Subway in the EMEA region. After several months of positive trials across the region, we’re super excited to roll out Subway Series through a transformative campaign before we expand further in other markets across EMEA.”

Kirstey Elston, marketing director for the UK and Ireland also commented: “In the UK and Ireland, we know that when it comes to ordering quick-service food, many look for that quick and easy experience, and so with the launch of the new Series menu we can now tell the nation’s story that there are two types of people; those who want to create their own Sub, and others who would prefer to order a delicious creation. With this campaign, we want our guests to know there are now two ways to Subway.”

Franki Goodwin, CCO, Saatchi & Saatchi added: “From the very start this was a brilliantly counter intuitive brief because Subway has uniquely revolutionised their menu… with a menu. We’ve found the perfect vehicle to spark debate and get the nation arguing about lunch (something important for a change!). We’re so excited to see this campaign out in the world and to challenge the classic way to Subway with a whole new way.”