Storyboard: Station Identification

Firehouse Subs uses actual firefighters in a campaign aimed to make it a national player.

By Margaret Littman, Contributing Editor -- Chain Leader, 10/1/2005

Robin Sorensen is not the kind of guy who puts a lot of weight in testimonials. “Just because a football player is talking about it doesn’t mean I am going to buy a car from that dealer,” he says.

So it might seem odd that testimonials play a big part of the first concentrated television branding campaign for Firehouse Subs, the sandwich chain he and his brother, Chris, who are former firefighters, founded 11 years ago. In the new, black-and-white documentary-style ads, firefighters from Jacksonville and Orlando, Fla., talk about their profession, their relationships and their appetites. But they don’t mention Firehouse Subs.

“I thought if they talked about Firehouse, they would lose credibility,” Sorensen says.

Greenville, S.C.-based Erwin-Penland developed the idea for the campaign. Firehouse Subs hired the ad agency in January after it “outgrew” its previous local agencies, which had created a few local spots, direct mail and other smaller-scale marketing efforts between 2001 and 2004. Now that the Sorensen brothers have their sights set on making their Jacksonville-based concept among the top five sub chains in the country, aiming for more than 350 units, the time was ripe for a comprehensive branding campaign.

Firehouse Subs will spend between $3.5 million and $4 million on advertising in 2005, most of which comes from a percentage franchisees pay into an ad fund.

Personal Connections
The public service announcement-style campaign features actual firefighters—some of whom the Sorensens know from their days at the job—in unscripted ads, linking them to the one thing people associate with firemen more than Dalmatians: food. The spots use voice-overs and text to convey the Firehouse Subs brand message so the firefighters don’t have to.

“We had been talking about our steamed meat, but that’s hard to talk about. It sounds moist. It is not flame broiled, which says what it is,” Sorensen explains. “Erwin-Penland said we shouldn’t talk about that. They said we should talk about what we own that nobody else does. That’s the real story of real firemen.”

When Erwin-Penland won the account, the authenticity of the Firehouse concept, including the Sorensens’ relationships with firefighters in the chain’s larger markets, jumped out as the most obvious point of difference between the concept and its competitors that also promote toasted bread and quality ingredients. In what Roger Beasley, vice president and director of strategic planning at Erwin-Penland, calls “selling trust,” the campaign does not rely on limited-time offers or other standard QSR strategies.

Instead, the two 30-second TV spots, combined with five radio ads, billboards and direct mail, emphasize ideas rather than specifics. Intended to be humorous but also ring true, the ads feature firefighters referring to the meals they make one another while on duty in their fire stations, as well as the appetites they accrue on the job. A voice-over says things such as, “These guys aren’t scared of anything. Except missing a meal,” and, “After a day of fighting fires, don’t expect them to reach for a smoothie.” Such messages indirectly address Firehouse’s quality and value without using explicit marketing language.

“Firefighters are the last American heroes. Politicians have blown it. Athletes have blown it. Firefighters are the only ones who have not blown it. They will not tell you something if it is not true,” says Andy Mendelsohn, executive creative director at Erwin-Penland. “The idea is, ‘If a firefighter says it’s good, it’s good.’” That phrase became the ad’s tagline.

In the House
With an estimated $150 million in sales for 2005, Firehouse Subs is still far smaller than competitors Quizno’s and Subway. It has 192 restaurants in just 11 states; 150 units are franchised. Management, however, is optimistic about its growth as it expands up the East Coast from its traditional Southern markets. Firehouse has sold another 400 franchises.

The company also says its fire-station memorabilia appeals to 25- to 44-year-old males, who are heavy fast-food eaters. With a healthy $7.50 average check, Firehouse sells more drinks and chips as a percentage of sales than it competitors, executives add.

Because the campaign is unscripted and features firefighters from the markets where the ads air, both Erwin-Penland and Firehouse feel it can remain fresh and effective as new spots are added.

The commercials began airing in four markets in June. While the chain can’t quantify results yet, Sorensen says awareness of the brand has been heightened.

As for getting firefighters to participate in the ads, Sorensen says it has been easy. “Firemen are mostly hams, so they’re willing to do it. It is no problem whatsoever,” he says. “It is easy to get a fireman when you’re in need.”

“Jacksonville” Length: 30 seconds
1. Firefighter 1: You spend more time with the people at the fire station than you do your own family.	2. Firefighter 2: I am a second-generation firefighter. I grew up watching my dad do it.
3. Firefighter 3: They’re my brothers and my sisters. We’re all in this together.	4. Firefighter 4: Mealtime is a very important time in the course of the day of the firehouse, like it is at our house.
5. Text: These guys aren’t scared of anything.	6. Except missing a meal.
7. Firefighter 5: The camaraderie around the dinner table is what the firefighters are all about.	8. Nobody knows good food like a firefighter. Voice-over: If a firefighter says it’s good, it’s good..