The Laughing Wolf: Quizno’s Redux

February 12, 2004

Quizno’s Redux

My post of a few days ago about the new Quizno’s advertising campaign has generated more mail than almost any other post I have ever done. It has been a good discussion, but it brings up some basic points on advertising that I think deserve fuller discussion.

All advertisements seek to gain your immediate attention, though not that many succeed in that task. There are several reasons for the effort, but only two need concern us for now. The first is that advertisers want to break out of the rule of three. The second is that they want to reduce the number of times a commercial has to run, in order to save money.

The rule of three is something I first heard of in college, in discussions on advertising and communications. What it means is that for most people and with most things, you have to see/hear it three times before it truly registers in your brain. Cognition and memory are built off repetition, and advertising is just as subject to this as anything else. With three repetitions, the pathways are built and things begin to register.

Obviously, this is not a true rule. Despite many more than three repetitions, my foreign language skills remain well below average – to the point of non-existent. Other things, like touching a heater or stove as a child, only need once. So something that produces pain, pleasure, or strong intellectual interest breaks the rule and provides for immediate retention and cognition. This also means that there are stronger associations for it, and that provided it is not painful this tends to default to a positive setting in the brain. The reasons that advertisers desire this is, therefore, obvious.

Yet, there is another good reason for wanting to break the rule. In order for you to see the advertisement/log/branding the necessary times to have it register, it means that there must be a LOT of repetition. Let’s face it, how many of us actually sit there and watch the commercials during a show? We may sit through one or two breaks, but the others are spent getting food or drink, taking care of things, or otherwise not paying attention to the screen. The same happens with radio as we drive, because of the need to pay attention to the road, conversations with others, etc. Even with an event like the Superbowl, where we eagerly anticipate seeing what ~~those nuts have come up with now~~ the latest and greatest, attention is not 100 percent. This means you must buy multiple spots, say on the order of a few hundred spots to get the necessary penetration within a given market.

There are two major downsides to repetition. It costs a heck of a lot of money to make the commercial and buy all the airtime. Airtime in blocks or events watched by the most lucrative markets can have an astronomical price tag. The other downside is that if you do get really good penetration, you run the risk of oversaturating the market. In simple terms, it means that the public sees/hears the spot enough to develop a hatred for it. Those old enough can think back to the song The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald which while a great song, was so overplayed that people who lived through the experience literally can’t stand to listen to it anymore.

So, repetition can cost lots of money and runs a real risk of overkill. Therefore, advertisers want something that is catchy in a positive manner (deliberate pain not being good in this instance) so that they can save money and avoid the pitfalls. This leads to ads that are “out there” one way or another. One trend is to seek out things that are cult hits, so to speak, that have not yet hit true mainstream status. You find something that targets in the emerging demographics – those that have disposable now and a lot more in the future when they get jobs, etc. – like and run with it. Do it right, and you get long-term customer loyalty, bring in other demographics that want to prove they are still hip, and get associated with the “next big thing.”

This approach works and works well, when it is done right. When it is done wrong, it can either provide a momentary spike or backfire horribly. If something is truly edgy, the majority of the audience is going to tire of it quickly, and it will develop a negative connotation because it makes people uncomfortable. The “Oh yeah I’m Hip/Down With It” syndrome only goes so far. This means you need to be prepared to move on fairly quickly, even if with another even edgier ad. The best bet is to not go quite as edgy, but either can work.

A key point here, though, is that you have to build on the momentum generated because it is only going to be there for a short time. The edgier the ad, the shorter the time. You need to hit with a segue quickly if you are going to build. A lot of good campaigns have gone off the rails because they failed to prepare for this. All the focus went into the one spot, and that meant that at best there is only a spike in sales. I won’t go into product quality here, except to note that if the product is not good, then even the best ad campaign around is not going to do more than create a spike.

Which brings us back to Quizno’s. The ad pulls something that only a small portion of the emerging age-group/market is familiar with, and with which the general public is not familiar at all. This can and has worked, but only where there was a proper follow-on and good product. The ad will get certain people in the door, but that is all it will do. What I look to see is how long they go with the current ad, and what they go to next. Both will tell a lot about how effective the campaign truly will be. A spike in sales is great, but what the best result is keeping a significant portion of the spike as regular customers. I don’t see it so far, since for me the ad is painful (would rather have had the kittens or the Bush/Blair lovefest, but I tend to play it safe), but only time and quarterly sales reports will tell.

-30-

UPDATE: Because this continues to be a topic of interest, and comments are closing, futher discussion and comments can be found here.

Posted by wolf1 at February 12, 2004 04:13 PM | TrackBack

Comments

The commericials work. Lots of sick folks like me out there, always looking for something bizzare to tickle our funnybones. Never had heard of Quiznos before, but the critters made me laugh so hard I had to check out their website, and in doing so, found out there's a Quiznos in my home town! I love subs and so am going to definitely make it a point to vistit Quiznos this weekend.
Love the rathergood.com website as well; the folks responsible for those nutty flash animations should definitely get some attention just from the link with Quiznos.
I know that not everyone gets into completely off-the-wall (yet clever) lunacy as I do, but I think that there are enough of us out there that this stuff will make us laugh and make Quiznos some money.

Posted by: Jim at February 19, 2004 03:42 PM

Let's face it, commercials are not just about selling product anymore. They're about entertainment too. Just look at the perennial hoopla over the superbowl ads. At the superbowl party I went to, it was noisy with conversation and revelry until the commercials came on - then it got amazingly quiet as everyone tuned in to be entertained by them. I don't think anyone cared about what was being advertised. I love the Quizno's commercials. I'll take them over "Ask Jared" any day of the week.

Posted by: subversive at February 20, 2004 10:12 AM

I was reading through the comments about your other post, and I simply can't believe that some people...actually a LOT of people...actually like the Quizno's ads. That probably says something about a large part of the general public.

I was watching the Daytona 500 last Sunday at my favorite hangout, and I was starting to feel pretty hungry. Thankfully, the Quizno's ad came on and saved me some money. I completely lost my appetite! That commercial is obnoxious! Out of the other people in the club who were there watching the race, I didn't see ANYBODY laughing or responding favorably in any way. All I heard was how disgusting those creatures are. My favorite comment I heard was that they looked like hamsters who went through a terrible laboratory experiment gone wrong. You must not have to graduate high school to be an ad exec nowadays.

There have been a lot of ad campaigns that drove me up a wall. I hate Chihuahuas to this day! I just recently started eating at Taco Bell again. Del Taco had one for a while that involved some really bad singing, but thankfully it didn't last long. Among the worst are local car dealers...they don't get much more stupid! But no commercial has ever actually DISGUSTED me like these Quizno spots.

I like Quizno's...but I won't be eating at one until these nasty commercials are a distant memory.

Posted by: Shannon at February 20, 2004 12:21 PM

I'm so glad to learn that I'm not the only one who hates this campaign. This is truly one of the most irritating commercials I've ever seen. I mean, I consider myself to be a fan of the bizarre, and my sense of humour is definitely not mainstream, but I just don't find this funny on any level. Every time I see it I actually have to stop, wrinkle my nose in disgust, and ponder how in the hell the Quizno's people ever greenlighted this campaign. I can only pray to God and the Baby Jesus that these "spongemonkey" freaks won't become the new "official" mascots of Quizno's and dominate the airwaves for the next ten years like the stupid Taco Bell dog and that damn Geico gecko. I can't take it anymore.

Posted by: Skraggo at February 20, 2004 09:58 PM

The fact that some peoples appetites were lost by this commercial really amuses me. You would have to have an incredibly weak stomach to be turned off by singing rats, dead or otherwise. What surprises me more then this is the fact that people have even weaker minds to let themselves automatically link dead rats to the subs just because the commercial featured a dead rat. Everyone knows the sandwich isn't gonna be made of dead rat. The commercial is funny, the commercial is obviously a subject for conversation, and it is going to make people buy subs, just look at how many people on here said so.

Posted by: Charlie at February 20, 2004 10:54 PM

The new Quizno's ad is repulsive. We had just recently discovered a Quizno's about 30 minutes from us and our family loved to eat there. We were excited to hear that a new location would be opening soon that would be about 2 minutes from us. When these mutant hamster like creatures started showing up in their ad campaign- we were all disgusted. We actually mute the tv or change the channel everytime the commercial comes on. We even took the time to write Quizno's and ask "what were they thinking ???" They sent us a letter back advising that we obviously had no sense of humor and just did not "understand" their "new fun and hip" advertising campaign. The letter was actually rude- so if the sick commercials didn't make us want to stop eating there, the letter sure did. The new location which recently opened up right around the corner from us doesn't seem to have ANY business whatsoever and I am sure it has to do with these commercials. To me- this will be an issue the animal rights groups will be attacking soon- (they didn't like the last ad when the guy was so obsessed with making the subs- he forgot to feed his bird and it died and he didn't even notice it was dead)This is WAY WORSE then that !!! These creatures look like hamsters that have died from some terrible lab experiment gone wrong- and someone tried to make them look "hip" or "cute"- which is SOOOO not working. I realize Quizno's wants people to remember their name- but using a horrible image that sticks in people's minds is the wrong way to go about it. And as for the jingle- you can't even understand it- so you won't remember that either. Can't wait for some new restaurant to rent out their space- it won't be long now- I'm sure.

Posted by: Lizzy at February 21, 2004 02:49 AM

Hi! I've been going crazy trying to figure out what kind of animal is used in those new Quizno's Ads! I found out that the little creatures are from a Web-Site and are called Spongemonkeys. However, that still didn't tell me what they REALLY are. I've sinced found a photo in one of my daughter's animal magazines that looks a lot like these creatures. It is a photo of a Mouse Lemur. I think that's what the animals are. Does anyone know for sure if I am right?

Posted by: Mary at February 21, 2004 08:03 AM

There is one good reason that Quiznos has bought into this ad campaign that nobody seems to have hit upon. A man named Joel Veitch from the UK has been posting these types of animations on the internet for a long time in the UK. He's become so popular that Channel 4 UK has invited him on to host several music programs. Now he's producing animations for them AND for VH1 in the US. If you think the Quiznos creatures are great, go to his website -- http://www.rathergood.com. As far as the "debate" over whether these creatures are "disgusting" or "genius" -- well let me put it this way -- if you think they're disgusting, then you're WAY out of touch with the pulse of 'hip and happenin'.

Posted by: Mike at February 21, 2004 08:31 PM

I also have to agree that the commercials work. The rats may be horrendous, annoying, and obnoxious...but people remember them. When I first saw the commercials, I thought they were ridiculous, and I wondered why Quizno's would advertise that way; but after viewing a couple more times...the rats grew on me and now I can't get enough of them...they're hilarious!! People remember them. Whether they grow on you or not, you're going to remember those rats in the back of your mind...that's what Quizno's wanted to do.
I personally love those funky looking rats!!

Posted by: Marcelle at February 23, 2004 02:11 PM

Brilliant Advertising!
I hope they continue with this ad campain.

If they start selling those rats, I'll buy them!
I don't think it's going to happen tho.

Posted by: David at February 23, 2004 07:01 PM

All I have to say about that commercial is: GROOSSSSSSSSS!! -----BUT, I do have to say that it is freakin hilarious!! Annoying as hell, and it does stick on you. Got to the whole point of advertising Quiznos, but in such a disgusting manner. Another comment, i just don't think I'd eat there after seeing those roddents. It kinda makes me feel as though there are roddents at QUIZNOS. But that's my opinion!

Posted by: Darlene at February 23, 2004 07:06 PM

Just what are those things anyways??? A twisted gerbil with baby teeth. I think the songs are hilarious. I even have one of the songs as my screen saver. Everytime i hear that song on the tv i run from whatever i'm doing and watch it. It is really entertaining.
I think that they have a new aim for what type of crowd they are attracting. This seems to appeal to a younger crowd. We all know that teenagers love to eat. Young adults need a place for lunch, and that commercial makes you remember that Quizno's subs is always a possiblity.
These mutated gerbils have recieved my attention. The commercial is great. The subs are awsome!!!

Posted by: Mike at February 25, 2004 05:00 AM

The Quizno's commercials are hillarious. I actually got the screensaver from the Quizno's website, the first and probably last time I have or will ever use a commercial screensaver.

Posted by: Alan at February 25, 2004 03:14 PM

i study theology, am an illustrator, have no piercings or tattoos, am married and 29. am i their target demo? these commercials are awesome, easily the best i'm currently seeing--they got me searching the net for info about them, something i've NEVER done for a commercial.

i plan on eating at quiznos to support this surreal randomness.

Posted by: randy at February 26, 2004 04:58 AM

Okay - Now I just want to say to all ya Hattaz I Love tha new Quizno's Commercial. Its so Funny.... unlike Mcdonald's or Wendy's commercial.
I Laugh so hard at it every time, I see the little 'rodents'. Not only me but me and my buddies... its like an inside joke. I'll say somethin like "Or For Oil Changes- Or Pony Rides - Or For Hair Plugs.....Any Coupon Works!!!"
lol- I love it. It gets stuck in my head. Thats the whole point of commercials,there made for gettin stuck in peoples heads. I hope they dont change there advertising just for a few people who dont like it. Just Deal With It! xoxo

Posted by: Krystal at February 26, 2004 07:51 AM

I love the commercial!!!!!!!!!! It reminds me of a commercial that when the whole family sits down to watch t.v., its on!!! It makes me feel like i want to go to Quizno's because they are warm,crunchy,and they have a pepper bar!!!

Posted by: Brandon at February 26, 2004 12:22 PM

I think the new Quizno's commercials are GREAT!! When me, my mom and my dad saw one of their commercials for the first time watching tv one night, we all said "What the heck!?" But then we bursted out laughing the whole time! Well, except for my mom, but me and my dad absolutely love those guys! I've had Quizno's subs before and let me tell you that they are sooo good! They are the best subs! Whenever I see those commercials I STILL laugh my head off...they are hilarious! I even visited their website because I loved their commercials so much, and I of course had to replay both of the commercials online again because I cannot get enough of them. I do hope they come out with merchandise of those creatures like they did with the Taco Bell dog, like someone else had suggested. I love the Quizno's creatures!!

Posted by: Karrie from Michigan at February 27, 2004 12:24 AM

The commericals remind me of dead flattened rats, if sure doesn't make my hungry for the sandwiches. if anything it makes me sick to think about. Sure everyones talking about it but I wonder how many of the people that are talking about Quizno's are buying the sandwiches. Not Me.

Posted by: Barbara at February 27, 2004 07:01 AM

No one seems to realize that this commercial reinforces racial discrimination against the Spanish culture. The creatures have hats on (that look Mexican), little guitars, and they are singing to a latin song. My impression is that the commercial is ridiculing and discriminating against Mexicans, and any other group of Spanish people who may entertain in a Mariachi band. I think it's disgusting and very disturbing that so many people seem to enjoy such a small minded advertisement. It's absolutely flabbergasting to me that a corporation would accept such an advertisement. I will not be eating there in order to protest against this type of stereotyping. I hope the majority of us do the same - when are these stupid stereotypes going to diminish?? They won't if we, as the public consumers, don't take a stand for something. Just like the saying goes, "If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything." Open your eyes people!!!

Posted by: Cindy at February 27, 2004 03:24 PM

These commercials ROCK!!!!!, I've never eatin at a Quizno's before, and up until recently probably wouldn't have considered it. But after seeing these commercial, I'd be willing to try Quizno's. There's a line from a movie that goes "We all go a little mad sometimes";and I think that's true in life. We all need to have a little craziness...if for nothing more than to keep us sane(that's weird, we need something crazy to keep us from going crazy...lol) But back to my point, I think these weird little spongemonkeys provide that little bit of craziness that we all need and deserve. And the ads serve their purpose, they've got the name of Quizno's circulating.

Posted by: Josh from Tennessee at February 27, 2004 04:14 PM

The Spongemonkeys are the greatest advertising animals ever! My friends talked about them for two weeks before I finally saw the commercial. I laughed my ass off and then went online to find more about them. And they are not mexican hats. one is a Bowler hat (english) and the other is a sailor's hat. I was shocked to hear so many people didn't like them. I mean when we see car ads with attractive people behind the wheel, does one honestly think they will be more attractive? Hopefully not...so why would we think there are 'rats' in our subs? Quizno's subs are good, and there ads our hilarious. Gratuitous Ad Hominem deleted. Poster is warned to reread the terms and conditions of posting, as further transgressions will get them banned. LW

Posted by: JoeDanger at February 29, 2004 10:49 AM

I recall a commercial some time back that I think was for some sort of chicken stuffing. Anyway, it showed a whole, plucked, headless, store-bought chicken running through a house on stubby drumsticks and flapping its naked wings. I think it was trying to escape from the mom who was going to stuff it and bake it. This was a very disturbing commercial for me - and yet, I can't remember what the product was.

A commercial that enraged me was the Nike one that showed two dogs - a Rottie and a pit bull - in a position that was unmistakably the start of a dogfight. They claimed it was supposed to be "edgy", but in fact it was a hair's breadth from illegal (if the dogs had actually bitten each other), and it just associated their shoes with a violent, inhumane activity.

Automobile ads make no sense to me. They all blur together and I don't see how anyone could make a decision to buy a car based on seeing one of these commercials. The dealers shout too much, the manufacturers just show cars driving around in the rain, and in the end I depend on Consumer Reports to help me decide on my vehicle.

So what are we getting out of all these commercials? Do people even use focus groups anymore? :)

Posted by: Jen at March 2, 2004 01:12 AM

Yeah nice try Cindy... not only are you using absolutely baseless and wrong information, you're enforcing incredibly stupid and extremist PC (political correctness). Please do us all a favor: immediately cancel your internet, turn off, and then unplugg your computer.

I have loved these new commercials since I have first seen it. I am so tired of all these generic ad campaigns that are plaguing television. Not only has Quizno's done something bold, they have surpassed every other fast food restaurant on my list. I have not yet eaten at Quizno's, but I will give it a try just to support this genius ad campaign.

Posted by: alex at March 3, 2004 11:49 PM

FINALLY!! I found a way to express how disgusted I am with those things Quizno's uses as their mascot. I am taking a Marketing class and in the text, it specifically has rules that state the mascot for a business should represent the brand's attributes. If those things represent Quizno's, then their whole company must be annoying and gross. I, too, refuse to watch the commercials nor will I eat there again. The mouths on those things make me want to hurl!!!!

Posted by: Austin at March 4, 2004 08:45 PM

I'm 54, a mother and a grandmother and love the Quizno's commercial.

The first time I saw the commercial I couldn't stop laughing, and couldn't wait till I saw it again.

A lot of times you see a commercial, you don't remember what they are advertising or by who. Or you remember the who but not the product.

That is not so with the Smongemonkeys, they are selling Quizno's. You remember what they are selling and by whom.

Sharon,

P.S.
Good job Quizno's

Posted by: Sharon at March 4, 2004 09:40 PM

i love the commercial its the best! i think its the best commercial ever..im sooo going to quiznos! its like the bomb.com! o ya babi!

Posted by: lil shortay at March 10, 2004 12:45 AM

Good grief. Is Quizno's trying to be political with these mascots?? If not, why on earth would you use something that makes so many people HATE your brand? Isn't the aim of a good ad campaign designed to attract new customers and keep old one? Why would you want to attract depraved nuts and drive off all the sane people? I despise this ad. To see so many people that actually love it(including the 54 yr old grandma) just shows how low our country is sinking into the muck. That people are so bored with life that they have to sit around waiting for the next stupid TV commercial to entertain them is pathetic; especially when that commercial is so demented. My nephews nearly cried the first time the ad came on, and we had to change the channel. I immediately wrote to Quizno's asking the question "what are you people smoking?", but no one cared to reply. Oh well, for each person they have gained as a customer, they have lost three. I hope they keep their little dead mutant-gerbils and choke on them!

Posted by: cMac at March 10, 2004 10:53 PM

The little Quiznos subs things are cute and freeky looking at the same time.The first time I saw the comersial I laughed so hard I drooled all over the place.I kept on singing "they are good and they are crunchy they are warm because they toast them.It's Quiznos subs!"The freeky hamster things rock!!!

Posted by: Erica at March 11, 2004 12:31 AM

Don't equate the mascot to the product that it is advertising.

We won't be eating the mascot, it is simlpy an advertising tool, plain and simple.

What I do find ridiculous is automobile ads who show how their prouudt can manuvor at top speed on a slick road in the rain and not crash and burn. We all know that is not possible, yet nobody is kicking up a fuss about that.

The beef in the sandwiches start out with fur, yet we enjoy beef. Pigs roll around in the mud, but the smell of bacon will wake you up in the morning and have your mouth watering for the taste of just one strip. Chickens eat anything from the ground moving or not, yet a nice breast of chicken sandwich, ummmm good.

If most of us had to go out and kill clean and dress our own food, we would all be vegee eaters.

Thank goodness for advertisers and the products they bring to our TV screens. All we have to do is buy them or not.

The person or thing who tells us about the product should not sway our decision.

I have to assume that we are all rational people and know the diffrence between a Spongemonkey and the meat on a Quizno's sandwich.

Sharon

Posted by: Sharon at March 15, 2004 06:58 AM

Comments are Closed.