Subway SG indulges fan's request by making April Fool's joke a reality

Subway Singapore has transformed its April Fool's joke into a reality with a specially made yard-long sandwich for a fan. Subway first posted an ad teasing the launch of a yard-long sandwich on its Facebook and Instagram on 31 March, as part of an April Fool's prank. When the prank was eventually revealed, a netizen by the username of zermattneo commented on Subway's Instagram post saying that if the brand did create a yard-long sandwich, he "would eat it solo". Subway later replied Neo: "Challenge accepted".

Later on 4 April, Subway posted a screenshot of Neo's comment and its response on its Facebook, along with the caption “Be careful what you wish for, because it just might happen.”

The next day, Neo was invited over to the Subway outlet at Junction 8 where he got to customise his rendang-flavoured, yard-long sandwich. As to why the brand indulged Neo's request, Hang Ee Laine, head of marketing, Subway, Southeast Asia simply explained to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that it was always fun to have a friendly challenge with a Subway fan.

She added: "When it comes to a tasty and flavourful sub, who can say no to it, no matter the size?" She added that the reveal of the yard-long sandwich is also in line with the return of Subway's beef and chicken rendang subs, along with the launch of its new shrimp rendang sub.

According to Neo, the "giant sub" contained 18 two inch portions and serves roughly nine to 15 pax.

Meanwhile, a quick search by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE online showed that, according to Neo's bio on his social media channels, he is a "competitive eater". He has previously worked with brands such as 25 Degrees, Crave, GOPIZZA, Gyoza Bar and KFC.

Separately, Subway Singapore curated a "The Spicy, Saucy" Spotify playlist to hype up its new Spicy Buffalo Chicken sub last June. The playlist features 11 songs with relevant titles by various artists including "One" by Lewis Capaldi, "Bite" by Troye Sivan. "Will" by True and "Spice up your life" by the Spice Girls. Done in collaboration with VaynerMedia Asia Pacific and MediaCom, the playlist is 38 minutes long. Subway Singapore's spokesperson told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE then that the playlist was created in celebration of the new sub and that it is always looking for new ideas to engage with its customers, and connect with them in a fresh way. Meanwhile, Subway also announced the playlist on Facebook, garnering 22 likes and one comment at the time of writing. 

Last year also saw Subway Singapore appoint Mutant Communications as its PR agency to help strengthen its brand positioning and share-of-voice in Singapore. The appointment will be for a year, until July 2022. As part of the one year partnership, Subway and Mutant will work together on a series of campaigns that drive business growth and connect with key stakeholders. The agency will also focus on strategic PR, such as thought leadership, brand and trade stories. While the brand declined to comment on which other agencies pitched, it said then that it was the first time Subway engaged a PR agency on retainer. 

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