26 January 2008: The Sub(culture) of Subway

In LaFortune student center, the longest queue is that for Subway. In fact, today the line is at least 30 people long. How does Subway draw people to it when other easy and faster option exist?

My first memory of Subway is the Jared weight loss advertising campaign. The ad shows Jared and his old pair of pants. He tells a Subway Story. He walked to Subway and ate Subway every day for an extended period of time and then lost a lot of weight. Now, he is the Subway spokesperson. While my exposure to Subway may be limited, this advertising campaign may too have been other people's first memory of Subway. When people think of Subway, they think of health. According to the book, The Culture Code, the Code for health is movement. Jared walking to Subway was right on code. Next, Subway created a weight loss story indicated by a significantly higher sized, but disposed of, pair of pants. Americans do not necessarily worry about their weight, but rather, what size clothing they wear and how it looks on them. Then they want to dispose of the pants, and in doing so, dispose of their previous weight. Finally, there is Jared. Jared is not a celebrity. He can be you or me. Subway is not only for those concerned with health. It is for anybody. This 'real' concept opens the doors for many people into the Subway life.

Does this explain why Notre Dame students are queuing for minutes for Subway? The brand name mixes white with yellow with curving arrows on either side. A subway is an underground mode of transportation. The logos inverted arrows play upon this noun association. The arrows indicate both directions and the concept of fast transportation. The white in 'sub' then transforms into 'way,' potentially the way the food and yourself transform upon consumption. The sandwich creation process enables consumers to select their own journey of sandwich. Then, wrapped in a white labeled sandwich bag, they walk away. Subway sandwich = transportation. Movement and transportation = health. Furthermore, students are in a perpetual state of transportation in life. That is why they might be so connected to Subway and willing to wait in those long lines. The line is worth the transportation that awaits.