Quiznos is looking to toast the competition with ads that draw a direct comparison between its menu offerings and those of the competition, specifically Subway.
The campaign, which Quiznos calls its "most aggressive" in its 25-year history, puts its cheese-steak sandwich against Subways. The campaign, which runs through Oct. 22, takes men off the street and asks them to look at two sandwiches (one from each chain) and choose the one they'd prefer to eat.
Jehad Majed, a Quiznos franchisee with a single store located in Dearborn Heights, Mich., told Ad Age, "We want them to show the food and educate [consumers] about the food. Another thing that Quiznos doesn't advertise is that we slice everything fresh. Comparing our sandwich to Subway's is a start."
Ad Age reports the cheese-steak sandwich comparison is not exactly done on a South Philly to South Philly basis. Quiznos sandwiches are priced from $5.29 for a small to $9.99 for a large. Since consumers can add meat for about a dollar extra at competitive shops, a few orders for more meat would make the Subway sandwich, for example, heftier than the item sold by Quiznos.
"Comparative advertising is very risky business," said Tom Barry, professor-marketing at Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business. "You're giving your competitor time in your ads."
"Comparative advertising makes the people doing it feel better," said John Greening, associate professor of integrated marketing communications at Northwestern University's Medill School. It doesn't, however, have any real impact on competitors or consumers, he said.
"Subway has been effective with its fresh position and diet position around Jared [Fogle, the longtime spokesman who claims to have lost weight eating Subway sandwiches]. Quiznos does not have a brand promise. Their brand at this point is 'attack the other guy.' That's not a brand," said Prof. Greening.
Discussion Questions: Is comparison advertising an effective means for a retailer to gain a competitive advantage? Have you seen campaigns that you could point to as being especially successful or unsuccessful using this tactic?