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David Farkas

Damn the Torpedoes in Quiznos New Ad

March 26, 2009
Remember the controversy CKE Restaurants stirred when its Paris Hilton-cavorting-on-a-Bentley commercial aired in spring 2005? What the swim-suit-clad model had to do with Carl's Jr. burgers was anyone's guess. But a lot of people couldn't get enough of it. A mini-site on CKE's website that featured the 30-second spot crashed quickly after it was announced. A spokesman for the company lamented at the time that Paris was "too hot for our servers." Judge for yourself.

Now comes another questionable ad, this one from Quizno's. It features two males --or rather a male and a toasting oven with a man's voice. I'm not sure what to make of it, except to say that the homoerotic commercial is even more suggestive than Carl's Jr's. Maybe you'll disagree with me. Maybe you won't see anything but sandwich humor in the 30-second spot. Which is perhaps all the sandwich maker and its ad agency intended. But I seriously doubt it. Consider an email I got from the chain's public relations firm, which reads in part: "Let’s be honest, the new ads are fun and entertaining, and the edginess and innuendo are designed to get people talking about Quizno's’ new Toasty Torpedoes."

   Innuendo? The actors' lines are more than suggestive; as the commercial unfolds they link directly to a sexual act. Indeed, "Scott" declares he'd rather not repeat it ("I'm not doing that again, got burned.") On purely a literal level, it sounds like Scott doesn't like toasting subs. Strange, because toasted subs are Quizno's signature product.
   These are desperate times, especially in crowded categories like sandwiches. It's hard to stand out, after all, when your main ingredients boil down to bread and meat. Quizno's, for instance, tried recently to drive traffic by offering a buy-one-get-one-free coupon on its Web site. According to Restaurant Finance Monitor, some franchisees complained customers didn't bother buying anything else but the subs.
   Now it looks like Quizno's bright idea is to dress up a sub with a foot-long baguette -- the thin, French-style bread favored, the commercial seems to say, by gay males. Or is that supposed to be part of the joke? The aforementioned email suggests otherwise: "Quizno's ... tailors its commercials to be relevant and appeal to its diverse customer base – all of whom are watching different kinds of programming." Ahem.

Posted by David Farkas on March 26, 2009 | Comments (60)

Industries: Marketing

Reader Comments

at 3/26/2009 11:56:07 AM, Steve J commented:
Another great post from you Dave! I guess the question is: What is the objective of the Ad? We would have to know the objective of each prior to any analyst. I am sure each had a slightly different objective. Only when we know the objective are able to answer the question. The unintended consequence of each ad might be interesting to monitor as well.

at 3/26/2009 1:28:07 PM, Allison P commented:
I saw this commercial for the first time last night and was definitely taken aback. There are some associations I just don't want to make with my food - and certain dialogue I don't want to hear from an oven.

at 3/26/2009 2:21:24 PM, Simply Offensive commented:
I'm pretty open minded. I can handle lots of different kinds of humor. I watch SNL and half the show devoted to gay humor, but this Quizno's spot is simply offensive. I also happen to be in the sub sandwich business (no, not Subway, but a 30 unit chain) so I pay attention to Quiznos. I've never liked whatever they're after in regards to their advertising. They truly make me NOT want to go into one of their stores. If I were one of their franchisees, I'd be pissed, but from where I stand...live and let die!

at 3/26/2009 2:22:54 PM, Pat G commented:
It's filthy and disgusting. I saw it for the first time last night as I was watching TV with my wife.
You just can't get away from the garbage that is being spewed out there on a nightly basis. The word to describe it is degenerate. Here are a few definitions for the word and they all fit:
Having sunk below a former or normal condition, character, etc.

at 3/26/2009 5:11:02 PM, Not ticked commented:
HAL, anyone?
Is everyone at Chain Leader and reading this post too young to remember 2001: A Space Odyssey? The oven clearly represents HAL, the sandwich-guy, Dave. Pff. The truth is, everyone will see this through their own filter. What does YOUR filter say about YOU?

at 3/26/2009 5:48:20 PM, Pat G commented:
My filter say's it's dirty - that is the truth. My filter is clean. I change it all the time. It say's I don't like sleaze or dirt.

at 3/26/2009 11:40:48 PM, someguy commented:
Yes, the ad is a parody of HAL and has gay innuendo - it's obvious - the employee looks down at his crotch when he says he got burned. It's done tactfully enough that prepubescent kids won't get it, but blatantly enough that most everyone else will.

Even if the voiceover of the oven was female, it's just not appealing to anyone who doesn't want to try a toasted foot long phallus. Then again, the next time you see a toasty foot long phallus you will be thinking of Quizno's.

at 3/27/2009 6:46:14 AM, jstachef commented:
what ever it maybe...Quizno's has got you talking about it, and is the reason to run an add

at 3/27/2009 7:22:42 AM, OH QSR guy commented:
I immediately recognized as HAL. I also immediately picked up on all of the innuendo. When I first told my wife about the ad, she thought there would be a female in the ad. The look on her face when she finally saw it was classic, to say the least. But how many of Quizno's target customer actually gets the 2001 A Space Odyssey connection? And I've already heard of the commercial being edited depending upon the network the ad is run. Come on, when you run the spot in the middle of South Park, you can pretty much see who they are trying to target. I just hope the franchisees are happy and would like to hear what this new sandwich will do to their food costs, given their current relationship with the franchisor.

at 3/27/2009 8:38:46 AM, sadairs commented:
If innuendo is the means to attract attention why not try to appeal to the largest audience and elicit a pleasurable, if slightly immoral, response? This is just distasteful to most folks. It's food remember! Frankly, I'm more puzzled by the "

at 3/27/2009 9:07:26 AM, wblobsta commented:
From the very start HAL from 2001 A Space Odyssey was conjured to my mind. My kids probably wouldn't recognize the parody but if we are to be concerned about subconscious messages in advertising, what should we think about the famous old Wendy's commercial with the old lady complaining "

at 3/27/2009 9:11:10 AM, wblobsta commented:
to continue: " Where's the Beef?"

at 3/27/2009 9:33:30 AM, Daniel in Atlanta commented:
Why is this so disgusting? Did you watch the Paris Hilton commercial?!? Kids will miss the gay innuendo, but the image of a crouching, half-naked Hilton spraying foamy water from her crotch (obviously, to represent ejaculation) will be imprinted on a lot of young, impressionable minds.

at 3/27/2009 1:40:55 PM, edwina cutwater commented:
The Quiznos commercial gave me a woody.

at 3/27/2009 1:48:24 PM, Mary Chapman commented:
Quiznos has always gotten shoulder shrugs from their ads. Remember the sponge monkey? (tinyurl.com/yubc6x)

at 3/27/2009 7:51:34 PM, ct commented:
Guess what ... like it or not the ads are working. Look how many posts it has gotten and I have heard a lot of chatter about it.

at 3/28/2009 7:47:09 AM, me commented:
Unfortunately you are correct. This only generates publicity.

It is a flatout offensive commercial.

"Put it in me, Scott." C'mon, that's sick.

at 3/28/2009 12:23:26 PM, NWD commented:
I was also very offended. God forbid if one of my kids had been in the room. Yes, this is giving Q's a lot of publicity, but I for one will NEVER patronize a Quiznos ever again. Hope the publicity serves them well.

at 3/28/2009 12:41:04 PM, Ilovesubs commented:
What are we living in the 50's or something? You guys need to get over yourselves and get a freakin sense of humor. The commercial is hilarious and anyone who doesn't think so is wrong. Yes, your opinion is actually incorrect.

at 3/28/2009 12:48:48 PM, Scooterbootin commented:
I want a torpedo and I want Scott to give it to me.

at 3/28/2009 2:56:19 PM, fridaysubnight commented:
I was working in my office with the TV playing behind me when I only heard the dialogue from this ad...Why was I hearing an older man coming on to a young boy? Later I saw what it was and couldn't believe how much worse it was to actually see! There is nothing funny at all here, I am appalled, and I'll never spend a penny in a Quiznos shop.

at 3/28/2009 8:35:41 PM, Tim commented:
I think what everyone needs to consider is what Quizno's target audience really is. If we take the time to look at the time slots where the advertising is most prominent as well as the networks and shows they are around, we learn something interesting. These ad's aren't targeted to older audiences. Most likely, Quizno's largest and most profitable demographic is people between the ages of 16 and 35. The younger crowd has come to accept, expect, and enjoy edgier and more controversial humor. If you doubt that fact, check out the highest rated television shows in that demographic. The truth is, Quizno's targets the fans of shows like South Park, Family Guy, and other shows that focus on the same demo. Others may not like the commercials, but the fact is Quizno's doesn't care. Why should it? You're not the people it expects to see money from.

at 3/29/2009 11:58:39 AM, Bigticket5 commented:
This commercial is absolutely hilarious, and I don't know why everyone is so offended. I mean if this offends you, I really don't even know how you live in this world today. This is a clever, and creative ad, so people just need to lighten up.

at 3/29/2009 7:54:22 PM, Maryann commented:
Looks to me as if both touched a nerve! If the second works as well as the first it could be a home run!

at 3/29/2009 8:47:30 PM, Mike commented:
If the commercial risks offending so many I can't see it's worth it. Regardless, the offense over took the humor for me, lost a customer here.

at 3/30/2009 1:18:35 PM, Zim commented:
When is somebody not offended by something? If we could monetize victimhood at a penny per incident, we could pay off the bailout AND the national debt.

It's a commercial. That's all. Life will go on. The toaster oven may be a perv but he's not actively coming out saying "

at 3/30/2009 3:50:25 PM, Mark M commented:
Commercials are inportant part of our industry. I would not like to be an indpendant operator in this niche now.

at 3/30/2009 5:29:13 PM, walter commented:
Great stuff, fun read I like the first video! Watched it twice!

at 3/30/2009 6:12:05 PM, Dave commented:
Twice ... such restraint!

at 3/31/2009 6:40:05 PM, Torpedo Scott commented:
ok... so there's gay innuendo... so what?? It's hilarious. I laugh every time I see this and so should most "adults" Kids won't get it. So all in all it isn't offensive to anyone. I agree with an earlier comment. How you filter this says a LOT about who you really are.

at 4/2/2009 4:18:07 PM, Witty and Funny Ad commented:
Just saw this ad recently for the first time and I think it's great. It's witty and funny and I find it hard to see how anyone could be offended by this, unless you're offended by the world around you and life in general...

at 4/2/2009 8:53:07 PM, Frank Phurter commented:
Im done eating there, I'll stick with the local indpendent operator, sandwiches have better quality meat and are same size for less money.

at 4/3/2009 5:08:12 PM, Steve J commented:
Great Post again Dave I had to stop by and just read all the different post! O' and I had to get another look at Paris after it is SPRING!

at 4/4/2009 1:44:53 PM, Pissed Straight Guy commented:
Yeah, we may be talking about it, but I will never eat there now. And negative talk is far worse than no talk.

at 4/12/2009 9:34:32 PM, Mike commented:
I caught the HAL reference...my kids did not...but I think they caught the sexual innuendo. How could children not get it!?
They are bombarded by the stuff all the time. Seems like half of the ads any more are for erectile dysfunction or penis enlargement.
I wish advertisers and networks would realize (or should I say care) that people other than the target audience will see their adds.
BTW, if I find an ad offensive I do not buy their product....if everyone did this instead of just accepting it, then maybe things would improve.

at 4/17/2009 2:07:12 PM, Quiznos! (: commented:
Yeah, It's pretty suggestive, but an innocent mind would never understand the sexual suggestion. I found it rather humorous and I think you're looking too far into it, considering I've heard Quizno corporate's actual intentions of this commecial. It has nothing to do with the watcher's seuality. It's just a funny commercial that catches people's attention. Maybe you watch too much TV, or too many commecials more like it.

at 4/17/2009 2:08:55 PM, Quiznos! (: commented:
Yeah, It's pretty suggestive, but an innocent mind would never understand the sexual suggestion. I found it rather humorous and I think you're looking too far into it, considering I've heard Quizno corporate's actual intentions of this commecial. It has nothing to do with the watcher's seuality. It's just a funny commercial that catches people's attention. Maybe you watch too much TV, or too many commecials more like it.

at 5/4/2009 9:45:52 AM, Elcorin commented:
Interesting, I`ll quote it on my site later.
Have a nice day

at 5/8/2009 11:50:17 AM, Jennifer commented:
The "suggestive" Quiznos ad above isn't the edit I see on TV. They cut a lot of the raunchiness out of the version I've seen aired.

at 5/8/2009 8:25:08 PM, Quiznos lacks taste! commented:
They haven't cut enough yet. And talking about it isn't buying subs! I'd rather go hungry than spend my dollars at Quiznos. Those ads just turn me off.

at 5/10/2009 10:22:25 PM, Pett commented:
Can i get a one small pic from your blog?
Have a nice day
Pett

at 5/12/2009 11:58:50 PM, Straight and Proud commented:
The commercial is disgusting. When i go somewhere to eat, the LAST thing I want to think about is some guys penis on the over where they are cooking my food. I will NEVER eat at Quiznos. And yes.. bad publicity is much worse than none.

at 5/14/2009 1:41:12 AM, AnnaHopn commented:
Everything dynamic and very positively! :)

at 5/14/2009 10:13:58 PM, Shana commented:
I used to be a regular customer. Now, this commercial grosses me out. If I were to eat another one of their sandwiches, I would be thinking of it as a gay penis. YUUUUUCK!!!!!!

I will never, never go to Quiznos again!!!

Smooth move advertising execs! You just lost a huge number of customers for your client.

at 5/15/2009 1:22:17 AM, Unknown commented:
Well, I don't know about you 'un-edgy over-40s', but Quiznos just gained a customer right here.

To the above, I bet that for every customer they lost, they've already replaced and gained more.

at 5/17/2009 7:55:58 PM, Offended commented:
Regarding the Quiznos new line of commercials..... they have stated that they are purposely targeting a diversified target audience and trying to make people talk. They have succeeded. Unfortunately, they have taken the lowest approach to accomplish their goal. I find their commercials offensive in any sense of the word. Having sexually explicit commercials would be bad, and would probably not be allowed. If a woman made the statement "put it in me", or any other of the direct suggestions that the recent Quiznos commercials made, I am sure the commercial would be pulled by the sensors. Why then, since these Quiznos commercials have the gay approach, are they tolerated ? There is a difference between "suggestive" and "explicit"! What happened to the approach of everyone having rights, unless they tread on someone else's right ? If two guys want to go behind closed doors and get it on....so be it! But I don't want that kind garbage invading my home with my children viewing it! Am I "homophobic" ? No.... I am heterosexual and believe this filth, straight and simple. Apparently these have been written by someone gay who is getting their jollies by promoting their creation. If I were a franchise owner, I would be suing! These are trash! Take them off the air!!

at 5/18/2009 6:24:09 PM, Crystal commented:
I agree that this ad is offensive because of it's pornographic nature. I emailed quizno's about it and here is their response:

Thank you for sending your feedback to Quiznos. Our new ad campaign is designed to introduce Quiznos Toasty Torpedo sandwiches, which are a great new tasty, toasty product that are like nothing available today. With more than a foot of flavor, these new sandwiches aim to set the standard for value, convenience and taste.

Quiznos has a history of being an edgy, challenger brand. We've developed our new ads to get people excited about our new Toasty Torpedoes and to be consistent with that heritage. The new ads are fun and entertaining, and the edginess and innuendo of the ads are designed to get people talking about our new Toasty Torpedoes. We also recognize that we have a diverse body of customers, and that they watch different kinds of programming. That is why we developed a milder version of the ad that is shown at times and on programs that families may watch, as well as an edgier version that is shown on a limited number of programs that are intended for adult audiences.

Quiznos remains committed to providing its customers with high-quality ingredients at everyday lower prices, all with excellent service and we would like to encourage you to visit one of our restaurants to sample our newest product.

Thank you for your email.

Quiznos Guest Relations

at 6/2/2009 12:48:47 PM, Franchise Owner commented:
To say that you will stop going to a restaurant based on a commercial is kind of silly. Especially the fact that Quiznos corporate is the one that decides what and how they will advertise without the consent or input from any franchise owner. So basically you are hurting struggling franchise owners by not visiting a restaurant from a risque commercial. Just my two cents. (my profit from the torpedos)

at 6/4/2009 1:02:53 AM, Anonymous commented:
I'm actually pissed that they changed the commercial. The first time I saw it, I thought it was pretty funny. It was definitely original, too. A few days later, I started only seeing the shorter edited version, and now I see the longer one with edited dialog that removes a good part of the innuendo. Some people are too sensitive.

at 6/4/2009 7:13:47 PM, concerned parent commented:
This is a SICK commercial and now has my 5 year old asking questions...that's just WRONG on so many levels. These commercials take a little more innosence away from our children. With everything parents have to do now days in order to keep their children innocent for a few years it seems television is doing more harm than good. This commercial is absolutely discusting and I wish they would take it off the air.

at 6/5/2009 4:01:50 AM, Put it in me, Scott commented:
To everyone complaining about the quiznos ad... I'm guessing many of you are either 1) An offended homosexual, or more likely 2) A bible toting jesus freak, or even 3) just a prude with no life. This isn't the 1950's anymore. Times have changed, attitudes have changed, the world has changed...get used to it. You can live in your Brady Bunch, "everything must be wholesome and moral" world all you want, but stay out of the real one the rest of us live in, the one that doesn't revolve around you. Society needs more humor, not more politically correct stick-in-the-muds like yourselves. Yes the commercial is suggestive. Read the operative word there...SUGGESTIVE. It does not blatantly say, "I'm a gay oven and I want your penis in me." It was made to be humorous, and it is. For every jocular challenged person (aka you moronic complainers) they lose as a customer due to an advertisement not even sanctioned by the franchise owners, they gain two that know how to laugh and actually enjoy a little humor in their lives. Also, if you idiots think this commercial is bad, you should see some ads from other countries. Many are far, far worse. Complain about Quiznos all you want. Their advertisement got exactly what they wanted from you...you're talking about it. And to the idiot above that said "bad publicity is worse than none", you obviously know little in that area. There's an old saying..."There is no such thing as bad publicity."

at 6/17/2009 4:17:32 PM, What is all the hype commented:
I am a gay male and find that the most annoying and upsetting thing about this comercial is that everyone who is against it is trying to play the "gay card". If the roll of "Scott" had been played by a girl, there would not have been anywhere near the amount of nonsense spewed here or anywhere else. Are the comercials offensive...to me no, to you, if yes then don't watch them. We, americans, supposedly live in a free country where everyone has equal rights, so excerise yours to not watch these comercials and leave the rest of us in peace.

at 6/17/2009 8:16:14 PM, wetg commented:
Is this a gay Star Wars ad? What is that about Chewbacca bread??

at 6/17/2009 11:37:50 PM, Daena commented:
Too friggen funny.. It's just a commercial.. Can't believe people would stop eating there cuz of it..get a grip.

at 6/18/2009 2:17:33 PM, James S commented:
What I thought was hilarious was the ultra noticeable, "Put it in me Scott". I didn't realize until someone pointed out about the beginning where he got "burned". I don't care this commercial was hilarious.

at 6/28/2009 4:55:42 PM, Willikers commented:
Well, I read all of the comments, and no one mentioned what I think is negative about this ad. The person who mentioned only hearing it and hearing an adult man propositioning a younger man touches on what I think of when I hear this ad.

It perpetuates the idea that gay men are predatory. The Quiznos worker says he doesn't want to, and the oven says he has to. THAT's a gay stereotype that I think is very misleading and very damaging to have it broadcast all times of the day to younger people for whom this commercial may be their first encounter with the idea of homosexuality.

at 6/30/2009 11:23:46 AM, Charlie commented:
Can i take a one small pic from your site?

at 7/3/2009 5:32:44 AM, Hobosic commented:
Hello,
Super post, Need to mark it on Digg
Have a nice day
Hobosic

at 10/15/2009 1:32:23 PM, mnotter commented:
Dave,
Boy, Quiznos should pay you for all the free advertising! The ad did was it was set to do, get people talking their product. Also, If you can't tell that this was a bad parody of HAL from 2001 a space odyssey,I guess you're too young or forgot. I do agree this went a bit far in the double entendre and seemed like a knock off of a bad SNL skit, but we're all talking about it. What's the saying, there's no such thing as bad publicity. By the way, I find Paris Hilton much more offensive than this sandwich dude.

at 11/13/2009 2:04:51 PM, MLDA12 commented:
I tell you what sucks is that because of this commercial (and apparantly another commercial that was aired) a quizno's in my home town was shut down. I went in today to get a beloved oven roasted turkey sandwhich to find that it was shut down. I had asked why the quizno's was shut down and how long it had been shut down, and the new owner and employee said that it was due to perverted/raunchy commercials that were put out and has been for a week. The chain owner was not happy with the commercials. So now there is a new business that took it's place :(

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