The list of world class athletes Subway hires is telling. They moved away from common man Jared losing weight by eating Subway, to being endorsed by the best of the best. Here’s a list of people who have done Subway ads: Michael Phelps, Pele, Megatron, RG3, Ryan Howard, Apollo Ohno, Nastia Lukin, Russell Westbrook, and Blake Griffin.
Why spend so much money to get these people to promote? The answer is simple, if Subway is good enough for these people, Subway is good enough for you. It doesn’t matter if they actually eat Subway or not, your brain is conditioned to associate Subway with Michael Phelps. Phelps is the greatest Olympian of all time. This association is powerful.
Do you know what the biggest restaurant chain is? Subway. There are 41,000+ stores over 106 countries. Do you think their advertising campaign might have something to do with it?
I like to take advertising one step further though because any of these athletes can just say they eat Subway. I agree that using people who are “the best” at their sport is a great way to get points across. What they should actually endorse though is products they use. Michael Phelps should be spokesmen for whatever goggles, bathing suits, and training equipment he uses. When I purchase items for a sport and I know that these are worn by an Olympic athlete when he competes, I’m sold that they are good enough for me.
I like watching golf and seeing what golf balls the pros are using. Duff daddy hits Pro V’s and I’ll continue playing Pro V’s because of this validation. Do you see Top-Flights being played by anybody? Would you think differently about the brand if pro’s played Top Flights?
The aforementioned point about golf balls is the most effective advertising the way I see it. If I can see a pro using equipment, I will buy it. Now when I watch an athlete eat a sandwich it doesn’t pull me as much but I can see how it may affect others. This is a lesson in advertising and how effective using well known celebrities is. It’s why celebrities are celebrities. They can have a major effect on the population. You think the producers of this dress paid Kendall Jenner to wear it?
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