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Mmmmm...Toasty! Why I love the idea behind Quiznos Awful Ads...

by David McKee
8 replies
There is a fine line in ad copywriting between being funny and being able to draw in an audience of rabid buyers - as we all know, long form copywriting such as those talked about ad-nauseum on this forum produce results. They do so because they have good headlines, and attract those customers who already have an interest in the products. The more perceived information, the better.

But sometimes what you're selling is a sandwich. An overpriced sandwich in my opinion, but I digress... Quiznos is known for some of the weirdest and downright bizarre and even disgusting ads and they sell food! Do any of you remember the ads with the singing rats? The ads could well have been made using powerpoint and MS movie maker (and probably were!). The disgusting looking rats looked like they had been pulled from a sewer after first going through a kitchen disposal, yet the ad resulted in massive new sales for Quiznos.

Now they are doing it again with kittens dressed as Amish folk! WTF?!?!

These ads make me smile and pay attention, I love them. But are they effective?

That is my question to the forum is: when is weird, off-the-wall, totally bonkers advertising a good idea? Can it be applied to online products?

I think back to Perry Marshall when he came up with a campaign for a Fan company that makes gigantic fans for industry. He stated that "Those are some big ass fans!"

And now the company is called "Big Ass Fans" Industrial Ceiling Fans, Commercial Ceiling Fans, Residential Ceiling Fans. Again there is a time and place for this kind of advertising, but I believe you really have to be careful as it can be a real gamble...

Tell me what you think!

-DTM
#ads #awful #idea #love #mmmmmtoasty #quiznos
  • Profile picture of the author Loren Woirhaye
    The product still has to have a compelling benefit. The wacky advertising
    can successfully (but it won't always) embed the brand into people's
    minds.... and when it does you have the beginnings of a preferential
    buying tendency: brand preference.

    There's a lot to it of course, but really - is Quizno's that different from
    Subway?

    The rodents were a memorable ad... and the meme they established
    with their song (or whatever) did tie-in well enough with the Quizno's
    brand that the brand and the commercial are recalled in the same
    memory. This doesn't always happen though.... sometimes the joke
    goes too far:

    Remember the Joe Isuzu commercials?

    They were funny. People talked about them... they won awards... but
    Isuzu sales were awful during that period. The campaign was a massive
    fail.

    Humor and silliness can get our attention, but it can easily backfire too.

    I have several books that deal with the subject - it's written about lots
    in the advertising industry.
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  • Profile picture of the author tigerwar
    I think it's a matter of defining what is funny and what is silly, what is above or below the belt.
    In our modern world, the inhibition thresholds have sunk in comparison to the 60/70's, so for the majority, what was hilarious may now be boring. Smoking was cool, it's now plain stupid. I suppose it depends on which generation one is targeting.

    I think anyting can be turned into funny situation as long as religion, race or culture isn't offended but if used, there should be a minimum degree of counter balance.

    E.g I think this is a "healthy" joke between black and white, it certainly always makes me smile:

    When I born, I black
    When I grow up, I black
    hen I go in Sun, I black
    When I scared, I black
    When I sick, I black

    And when I die, I still black


    And you white fellow

    When you born, you pink
    When you grow up, you white
    When you go in sun, you red
    When you cold, you blue
    When you scared, you yellow
    When you sick, you green
    And when you die, you grey

    And you calling me colored??
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  • Profile picture of the author David McKee
    I guess if the funny part gets your attention long enough for the copy to do its job, then you have the formula for success - however the question is, what is the balance. We have the Geico ads with the gecko, the cavemen, the weird voice guy, and dozens of other funny ads that they do - each pushing the singular phrase "give us 15 minutes and we will save you 15% or more on your car insurance". The point gets across.

    But I am not so sure about amish kittens...

    -DTM
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  • Profile picture of the author NicoleBeckett
    As someone who loves the Amish kittens, I think any ad that gets you talking about the company is a good one. After all, if Quizno's just had a run of the mill ad with video of their sandwiches, we wouldn't be sitting here discussing it. Like the kittens or not, they certainly grab your attention!

    Now, whether that can translate into the online world is something else. I think humor and creativity can certainly go a long way online, but the big difference is that sales pitches on the web are (almost) always text, so it's up to the reader to make sense of your joke. If you get too witty in your writing, others may not get it. If you had a picture of an Amish kitten on your site, would people "get it"? Probably not.
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  • Profile picture of the author fanny@bigassfans
    David: The Perry Marshall you mention in your comment is not now, nor has he ever been associated with Big Ass Fans; he is another “marketing dude” with a blog somewhat like yours who is a proponent of guerilla marketing. Many (6 or 7) years ago he stopped by our booth at a trade show and was duly impressed and wrote about our company in his blog. That blog page is still up on the internet, but in it he does NOT claim to have "invented" the moniker "Big Ass Fans." The true story is that the name of the company was customer-driven: when the number of times people exclaimed, "Wow, that's a big ass fan!" became too numerous to count, our CBA (Chief Big Ass) officially changed our name to Big Ass Fan Company.
    So, thanks, David, for mentioning our company in your comment -- but we’d we be grateful it if you would give credit where it is actually due (or we'll have to assume that you're the guy that started the rumor that Al Gore invented the internet!).
    All the best,
    Big Ass Fans
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    • Profile picture of the author David McKee
      Originally Posted by fanny@bigassfans View Post

      David: The Perry Marshall you mention in your comment is not now, nor has he ever been associated with Big Ass Fans; he is another "marketing dude" with a blog somewhat like yours who is a proponent of guerilla marketing. Many (6 or 7) years ago he stopped by our booth at a trade show and was duly impressed and wrote about our company in his blog. That blog page is still up on the internet, but in it he does NOT claim to have "invented" the moniker "Big Ass Fans." The true story is that the name of the company was customer-driven: when the number of times people exclaimed, "Wow, that's a big ass fan!" became too numerous to count, our CBA (Chief Big Ass) officially changed our name to Big Ass Fan Company.
      So, thanks, David, for mentioning our company in your comment -- but we'd we be grateful it if you would give credit where it is actually due (or we'll have to assume that you're the guy that started the rumor that Al Gore invented the internet!).
      All the best,
      Big Ass Fans
      My apologies for not checking my sources on this! I actually read somewhere that PM had done the marketing - I should have done my homework and made sure. I have no desire to perpetrate incorrect data, so again, please accept my apology.
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  • Profile picture of the author Andy H
    I haven't eaten at Quizno's since they had the ads that featured roadkill. Call me old fashioned, but the thought of roadkill when I'm thinking about where to go for lunch just didn't do it for me.

    I don't have the numbers and if anyone does, I'd love to see them but my intuition tells me that Subway's $5 dollar footlong campaign has generated many, many times more sales than any of Quizno's recent campaigns, roadkill, rats, kittens or otherwise...
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  • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
    Originally Posted by David McKee View Post


    These ads make me smile and pay attention, I love them. But are they effective?
    I think you answered your own question. You not only smile and pay attention, and love them, but you're talking about them too. Whether you buy or not, a lot of people will because they too, smiled and paid attention.
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