Malaysia’s tiniest ads? Subway hides 6-inch billboards in KL MRT stations

Subway is now on Grab Signatures, and it’s marking the occasion with a campaign that invites Malaysians to search high and low - literally. In case you don’t know what Grab Signatures is, it is a curated list of best-loved restaurants and brands available on GrabFood.

The campaign, which aims to drive buzz around the partnership, runs until 30 June and was conceptualised and brought to life by Fishermen Integrated and Accenture Song. Through a scavenger hunt across Kuala Lumpur's MRT network, the campaign sees six miniature 6-inch Subway billboards hiding in plain sight at high-footfall stations such as Pasar Seni, Bukit Bintang, Tun Razak Exchange (TRX), Ampang Park, Maluri, and Muzium Negara. The campaign also cleverly plays on Subway’s iconic 6-inch sandwich size while encouraging real-world discovery and digital engagement.

A tiny activation with big ambitions

One unique feature about the ads is that it isn’t just scaled down, but it is in fact hand-crafted dioramas created by PicoWorm, a Malaysian studio known for its intricate miniature worlds. The campaign also cleverly ties product storytelling with place-based media where the dioramas were also grounded in local context.

In Malaysia, the 6-inch Subway sandwich is instantly recognisable. The brand thought to show how the smallest delivery can make a big impression, as well as to announce its availability on Grab Signatures creatively.

By planting these 6-inch replicas in unexpected spots, the brand also tapped into a cultural truth: Malaysians love a good treasure hunt, especially one with a social twist.

“This campaign is all about creating moments that surprise and delight our consumers. By shrinking the literal size scale and using tiny Grab delivery-partners to deliver the iconic 6-inch Subway subs, we have brought an unexpected and unforgettable twist to the everyday delivery. It is a fun, lighthearted way to show that no matter the size, a Subway sub always delivers big on taste, and now you can conveniently get them delivered to you with Grab Signatures,” added Ko Li Ping, Head of Marketing at Grab Malaysia.

“A Subway sandwich is more than just a sandwich to us — it is also a measuring tool. To us Malaysians, the 6-inch Subway sandwich is an icon so we wanted to show that even the smallest delivery can make a big impression. With tiny Grab riders delivering Subway 6-inch subs, we are proving that great things really do come in small packages,” said Fishermen creative director, Andrew Perera.

To help fans locate the elusive billboards, Grab enlisted eight local KOLs to drop hints about the locations throughout the month. Each creator will post Instagram content teasing the diorama’s whereabouts at one of the six stations, fuelling curiosity and friendly competition.

The campaign comes with serious incentives. Every week, 200 participants stand to win RM30 Subway GrabFood vouchers just by spotting one billboard and posting a photo or video of it on Instagram Stories. To qualify, users must tag @grabfoodmy and keep their profiles public.

Meanwhile, the ultimate prize awaits the most dedicated fans. Those who track down all six billboards will be eligible to win one year’s worth of Subway. To enter the grand prize draw, participants need to snap a photo or video with each of the six billboards, share them on Instagram Stories or as a six-tile grid tagging @grabfoodmy and submit their visuals via the Google Form linked in GrabFood’s Instagram bio.

At the end of the campaign, ten lucky winners will be selected and announced via GrabFood’s Instagram.

“In the OOH space, the usual norm is to go big to create impact. Bigger is usually better. More eye-catching and more visible. But we took the contrarian approach in this campaign and went small,” said Derek Low, Head of OOH, Accenture Song.

“This journey of discovery and intrigue incentivised our audience and increased the reward of finding us. The concept works especially well in the MRT space as it is not an area where you expect to see some miniature figurines for food. It is the unexpected nature of it that creates the impact,” added Low.

While this certainly isn’t the first time Subway has partnered GrabFood, it is the first time it has done so under the “Signatures” banner that highlights delivery partnerships with consumer-favourite brands. For Subway, it’s a strategic move to boost visibility and convenience in a market where online food delivery continues to thrive post-pandemic.

“We are thrilled to join the Grab Signatures lineup and deliver our iconic 6-inch subs to even more Malaysians. This campaign is a bold and creative reflection of our belief that even small moments — and small bites — can deliver big flavour. We look forward to growing this partnership with Grab and continuing to surprise and delight our fans,” said Jaclyn Mok, Head of Marketing at Subway Malaysia.

Beyond the physical space, the campaign also sees the release of three six-second animated videos for GrabFood Malaysia’s social platforms.

Small is the new bold

From street-level to social feeds, the Grab Signatures x Subway campaign is a lesson in how physical creativity can amplify digital discovery. By bridging physical spaces with app-based action, the campaign creates a loop that brings consumers back to GrabFood, and back to Subway.

So if you're hopping on the MRT this June, keep your eyes peeled. A 6-inch sub might just be hiding in plain sight, and it could win you a year’s supply of sandwiches.

Subway is now on Grab Signatures.

This article was written in collaboration with Grab.