Comments on: My Beef With Subway http://bly.com/blog/general/subways-copy-slip-up/ bly.com direct marketing blog Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:52:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Joe http://bly.com/blog/general/subways-copy-slip-up/#comment-674758 Joe Wed, 01 Oct 2008 01:52:44 +0000 http://bly.com/blog/general/subways-copy-slip-up/#comment-674758 WOW you people are all idiots! IDIOTS! Where do you all live in the middle of nowhere. Stupid people should not have access to technology. Hi my name is Joe Consumer, I'm going to evaluate some food franchises. Hmmm lets see McDonalds....pooo, Burger King....pooo, Taco Bell....pooo, Jack-in-the-box....poooo, Sonic....more pooo. All sugar and salt based foods. If you're going to analyze quick service food restaurants you need to campare them all on the same plane. Like it or not, in the same catagory Subway kills all quick service restaurants for health and fat content. Thats a fact not an opinion, if you like it or not idiots. WOW you people are all idiots! IDIOTS! Where do you all live in the middle of nowhere. Stupid people should not have access to technology.
Hi my name is Joe Consumer, I’m going to evaluate some food franchises. Hmmm lets see McDonalds….pooo, Burger King….pooo, Taco Bell….pooo, Jack-in-the-box….poooo, Sonic….more pooo. All sugar and salt based foods. If you’re going to analyze quick service food restaurants you need to campare them all on the same plane. Like it or not, in the same catagory Subway kills all quick service restaurants for health and fat content. Thats a fact not an opinion, if you like it or not idiots.

]]> By: user101 http://bly.com/blog/general/subways-copy-slip-up/#comment-674691 user101 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 04:26:28 +0000 http://bly.com/blog/general/subways-copy-slip-up/#comment-674691 I agree with your point. So many other commercials use this type of assuming language that I really don't pay attention to it anymore. Nevertheless, it's something that could so easily be changed (as it's so annoying), as you suggested. I, on the other hand, mentioned Subway at www.mybeefonline.com and their ridiculous contests, where it's probably safe that everybody will lose at winning the grand prize. I agree with your point. So many other commercials use this type of assuming language that I really don’t pay attention to it anymore. Nevertheless, it’s something that could so easily be changed (as it’s so annoying), as you suggested.

I, on the other hand, mentioned Subway at http://www.mybeefonline.com and their ridiculous contests, where it’s probably safe that everybody will lose at winning the grand prize.

]]> By: Sean Deminski http://bly.com/blog/general/subways-copy-slip-up/#comment-674506 Sean Deminski Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:44:33 +0000 http://bly.com/blog/general/subways-copy-slip-up/#comment-674506 Bob, I love your eye for detail! I don't think I ever caught the vagueness in that ad, and obviously you have been writing direct response for a long time! But couldn't Subway be creating a "bandwagon appeal"? I had a English teacher in high school who spent a couple weeks teaching us logic and I think I recall there was a list of appeals and bandwagon was one of them. So can anyone explain the difference between identifying the audience and this bandwagon appeal? (at least in ad writing) Bob, I love your eye for detail! I don’t think I ever caught the vagueness in that ad, and obviously you have been writing direct response for a long time!

But couldn’t Subway be creating a “bandwagon appeal”?

I had a English teacher in high school who spent a couple weeks teaching us logic and I think I recall there was a list of appeals and bandwagon was one of them.

So can anyone explain the difference between identifying the audience and this bandwagon appeal? (at least in ad writing)

]]> By: Clarke Echols http://bly.com/blog/general/subways-copy-slip-up/#comment-674448 Clarke Echols Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:35:04 +0000 http://bly.com/blog/general/subways-copy-slip-up/#comment-674448 I stopped at a subway one night to get sandwiches for my wife and I while traveling. They wanted $2.00 for two paper cups of water! A few months ago, I tried the local Subway. I could spend another dollar and get a complete meal at a buffet restaurant a couple of blocks away. But my beef is those who say "everybody doesn't", when what they really mean is "not everybody does". Big difference. The former means the same as "nobody does", whereas the latter means "some people don't". Communication is framing your words so it is impossible to be misunderstood. Clarke I stopped at a subway one night to get sandwiches for my wife and I while traveling. They wanted $2.00 for two paper cups of water!

A few months ago, I tried the local Subway. I could spend another dollar and get a complete meal at a buffet restaurant a couple of blocks away.

But my beef is those who say “everybody doesn’t”, when what they really mean is “not everybody does”. Big difference. The former means the same as “nobody does”, whereas the latter means “some people don’t”.

Communication is framing your words so it is impossible to be misunderstood.

Clarke

]]> By: Jodi Kaplan http://bly.com/blog/general/subways-copy-slip-up/#comment-674421 Jodi Kaplan Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:09:53 +0000 http://bly.com/blog/general/subways-copy-slip-up/#comment-674421 I never particularly liked Subway. Their food smells like plastic, and their ad showing a hot pastrami sandwich with cheese is well, a sin. That said, I like Bob's version better. I never particularly liked Subway. Their food smells like plastic, and their ad showing a hot pastrami sandwich with cheese is well, a sin.

That said, I like Bob’s version better.

]]> By: Bob Yokl http://bly.com/blog/general/subways-copy-slip-up/#comment-674420 Bob Yokl Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:47:26 +0000 http://bly.com/blog/general/subways-copy-slip-up/#comment-674420 This is the same company that for years used a once overweight person Jared to insinuate/imply that he lost all his weight by eating at Subway. They lost me a long time ago in my mind no matter what they do for just that reason. Now it's all about Eat Fresh what happened to the losing weight thing...oh because their food has just as much or more FRESH calories as the next fast food place. Oh Congrats Jared for having lost your Fattness for 10-years now commercial. Imply, Imply, Imply but at least Jared is getting easy money! This is the same company that for years used a once overweight person Jared to insinuate/imply that he lost all his weight by eating at Subway. They lost me a long time ago in my mind no matter what they do for just that reason.

Now it’s all about Eat Fresh what happened to the losing weight thing…oh because their food has just as much or more FRESH calories as the next fast food place.

Oh Congrats Jared for having lost your Fattness for 10-years now commercial. Imply, Imply, Imply but at least Jared is getting easy money!

]]> By: Lou Wasser http://bly.com/blog/general/subways-copy-slip-up/#comment-674411 Lou Wasser Sun, 10 Aug 2008 11:45:58 +0000 http://bly.com/blog/general/subways-copy-slip-up/#comment-674411 I believe the ad writers (and therefore the folks at Subway) are depending on ad readers' knee-jerk (irrational) response rather than their logical examination of the words. Copywriter mavens out there selling their wares to other copywriters depend on the same response when they write about tutorials and seminars which will enable students to write "kick-butt copy." Such are the perils (or profits) of our business. An even more notable example of Bob's point is the classic Sarah Lee commercial years ago: "Nobody doesn't like Sarah Lee." I believe if you still scour the Internet, you'll find that even the Journal of Symbolic Logic takes that one to task. I believe the ad writers (and therefore the folks at Subway) are depending on ad readers’ knee-jerk (irrational) response rather than their logical examination of the words. Copywriter mavens out there selling their wares to other copywriters depend on the same response when they write about tutorials and seminars which will enable students to write “kick-butt copy.”

Such are the perils (or profits) of our business.

An even more notable example of Bob’s point is the classic Sarah Lee commercial years ago:

“Nobody doesn’t like Sarah Lee.”

I believe if you still scour the Internet, you’ll find that even the Journal of Symbolic Logic takes that one to task.

]]> By: Ryan http://bly.com/blog/general/subways-copy-slip-up/#comment-674407 Ryan Sat, 09 Aug 2008 20:33:25 +0000 http://bly.com/blog/general/subways-copy-slip-up/#comment-674407 My favorite subject! I can rant forever about things I hate about commercials - television and print. The word "virtually". How the first commercial is repeated again just before a show restarts. Exaggeration - we have a VW commercial on the radio asking what you can do with $199. Buy a new pair of jeans or lease their car? I buy my jeans at Costco for under 20 bucks. People who write commercials think we're dumb? My favorite subject! I can rant forever about things I hate about commercials – television and print. The word “virtually”. How the first commercial is repeated again just before a show restarts. Exaggeration – we have a VW commercial on the radio asking what you can do with $199. Buy a new pair of jeans or lease their car? I buy my jeans at Costco for under 20 bucks. People who write commercials think we’re dumb?

]]> By: Bob Bly http://bly.com/blog/general/subways-copy-slip-up/#comment-674406 Bob Bly Sat, 09 Aug 2008 17:54:51 +0000 http://bly.com/blog/general/subways-copy-slip-up/#comment-674406 ML: "Hot" refers to temperature; the TV spot shows steam rising off the beef in a sandwich with the top half of the roll removed. Can't remember if it's roast beef or brisket. ML: “Hot” refers to temperature; the TV spot shows steam rising off the beef in a sandwich with the top half of the roll removed. Can’t remember if it’s roast beef or brisket.

]]> By: michael lockyear http://bly.com/blog/general/subways-copy-slip-up/#comment-674404 michael lockyear Sat, 09 Aug 2008 14:25:01 +0000 http://bly.com/blog/general/subways-copy-slip-up/#comment-674404 “Beef lovers nationwide can’t wait to sink their teeth into Subway’s new Hot Beef Special Sandwich.” lol. nice and snappy. The problem I have with the ad is with the word "hot" - are we talking temperature, "spiciness" or "sexiness"! “Beef lovers nationwide can’t wait to sink their teeth into Subway’s new Hot Beef Special Sandwich.”

lol. nice and snappy.

The problem I have with the ad is with the word “hot” – are we talking temperature, “spiciness” or “sexiness”!

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