PorscheBunny

If I'm a restauranteur, the second least desireable image I'd want to present to my customers are rats, especially when they're this ugly. (The least being cockroaches.) Someone in Quizno's marketing should be flogged at the next shareholder's meeting over this. If I were a franchisee, I'd seriously consider litigation or going independent.

This ranks right up there among the most stupid marketing gimmicks ever. Definitely in the league with the Chilito (Taco Bell, early 90s, "chili burrito" named using Spanish term for "little penis"), Unleash the Beast (Milwaukee's Best beer, mid 90s, "the beast" refers to what the stuff does to your digestive tract), and the Wingmaster (KFC, current, "wingmaster" is someone who earns "red wings" twice voluntarily or thrice while intoxicated), and Pepsi's Chinese slogan which properly translated to "brings your Ancestors back to life."

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Lasereth

Wow, that ad makes me not want to eat there. That's disgusting. If they took the rats out and made it say "Click here to get a dollar off" then it would be like 100 times better. Ha ha.

-Lasereth

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ladyadmin

There are no ads that appeal to me or entice me to buy an item. I will go for the best deal over a cute chihuahua, a gecko, or a toucan any time.

This ad executive needs to go back to the drawing board.

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31Friction

my friends and I were talking about it last night. either they are about to go broke or the marketing guys got slipped something. the commercial is repulsive and I had to see it 3 times just to be able to actually understand it. gets a double thumbs down from me...

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moonstrucksoul

my wife hides underneath the sheets when that commercial comes on. i find it obnoxious and stupid. but i think she is genuinely repulsed by it.

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KungFuGuy

gnort

Yeah, Quizno's is obviously trying to ride on the coat tails of a small internet craze...and that's sad.

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feelgood

Hmm...fugly rats *drools*

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Arsenic7

WE LIKE THE MOON!

Seriously though, the flash animation those two come from is rather cute and funny in an odd sort of way.

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:::OshnSoul:::

Ya, i am usually fine with commercials, even if they can be annoying-but this one- ???WTF???????? Arg, doesn't get me to want to eat at Quizno's............

majik_6

Okay, I may get shunned for saying this, but those ads are starting to grow on me!


I hated them just as much as anyone else at first, but they're slowly starting to make sense.

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numist

For those who havent seen the flash animation, or the commercials:



Click that link, and be disgusted.

By far the worst commercials I have ever seen.

I hereby pledge my allegiance to subway.

The squeaky voices, 1st grader lyrics, godawful guitar, and awful animation are by far the worst assault on the senses that I have ever had over television.

Confederate

yea that commercial will make you want to stick a fork in your eye and spoons in your ears

Tophat665

If Quiznos didn't have much better subs than Subway, I think this ad would have put me of o them forever. It's like their success with the guy raised by wolves has lead them to believe that the worse press an ad gets the better it is for them. Well, the wolf guy was clever, but this is merely revolting. I have a feeling that they are going to lose business to mom & pop delis over this one.

Feh!

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Averett

Exactly That website is awesome..

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KWSN

then perhaps you need SPOON GUARD!!!!

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GuttersnipeXL

I love that commercial! What's everybody talking about? It's weird, I agree, but that's what makes it cool. Besides, Quizno's has some good eats. I particularly like the rat with the pirate hat, I also like their mangled teeth. I have never seen anything like it, so I like it.

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yakimushi

The first time I saw the commercial I stopped with a fork halfway to my mouth and it stayed there for the duration of the commercial. I just sat and gaped. I didn't quite know what to think.

Now, I laugh my ass off when I see it. I think they're hilarious, and I don't think they're rats. They look like gerbils.

Phaenx

WE COME FROM THE LAND OF THE ICE AND SNOW! FROM THE MIDNIGHT SUN WHERE THE HOTSPRINGS BLOW! *do do do do doot*

That's easily the best flash ever. Viking kitties. Did you know VH1 ripped them off too? You can't believe how pissed off that made me. I really hope they paid them for that shit and just didn't steal it.

In terms of commercials, this is way less stupid then some of the other crap I've seen (e.g. ones that make me say "Wow, you made a bad pun. Good job asshole."). Funny writers are an endangered species.

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KWSN

hahah, how about Coca-Cola's "Bite the Wax Tadpole?"

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laconic1

Quizno's has always had terrible ads. I didn't think they could outdo the stupidity that was their previous "raised by wolves" ads, but they proved me wrong.

Confederate

We have new york sub or pizza here (i don't remember) and they have radio commercials. It's basically a new york sounding guy that uses bleeped f-bombs every other word. He said in one commercial "I dare you to find better f*cking food anywhere, if you don't like it I'll send my cousin, Chino, over to your house and he'll break your f*cking legs" Granted this is all in jest and it is pretty funny, but maybe this shock value advertising is actually working.

phredgreen

not quite. vh1 paid joel to produce those spots, and he does a regular show in the uk's mtv, i think.

as far as the spongmonkeys (what those little guys are called), they're not my favourite rathergood invention, but they're still funny stuff.

the problem is that they're taking a humour that is funny to a small amount of people and trying to force it into the mainstream. joel's stuff isn't for everyone, nor is weebl (jonti, the guy who did badger badger badger and the weebl and bob series)'s stuff, but they're both producing commercials. good for them. they made it big and are making some money off of it.

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greytone

If I did not know how good their subs were, I would never go in one based on that ad. The one near me went out of business close to 5 years ago.

In the list of bad marketing ideas, you forgot the Nova. Chevy thought it would go over big in Mexico, but the name means "no go" in Spanish.

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tritium

This is precisely why Quiznos has an outstanding marketting strategy! 1) You definitely remember it. 2) You definitely know it was a Quiznos ad and 3) you are discussing it and spreading it your friends! What more could an ad exec ask for?

Does anyone remember the Quiznos ad from a few months ago with the man suckling from a wolf?

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KungFuGuy

that's actually just something that spanish teachers love to tell students in high school to demonstrate the importance of learning spanish.

i've had teachers in car/materials classes say that the nova did reasonably well in spanish speaking markets. turns out most of them knew it was named after that little astronomical term "nova" and not "no go" which is two words, "no va".

now what your saying could still be true of course. I'm just saying i've come across differant sources suggesting that it's false.


on rathergood.... i really like mango biscuits and the laibach kittens for some reason. yet i find that most of the stuff on the site (90%) is just outright annoying.

Harshaw

God at least is isn't Britany Spears trying to sell me something. Or Pepsi showing me how cool they are bu buying songs for me to download for "free". Give me the damn rats any day.

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Quietus

I absolutely hate that commercial! I could not believe it the first time I saw it, and every time it comes on since then (it seems like every commercial break) I either flip the channel, or mute the TV. I can't stand it! I didn't know it was based on an internet fad, but honestly, having just visited it, I find it just as stupid and annoying. I can't believe any marketing exec would actually think this was in any way a good idea that would somehow create greater sales. I've vowed to stop buying Quizno's until I don't see these commercials anymore.

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rockzilla

I briefly saw a part of that ad on a TV at work, I was too annoyed by it to stay to find out who was trying to sell me what.
I never went to Quiznos before, and I still don't have any desire to

lucidity

I agree, tritium.

Personally, i do think them a bit silly... thought of rathergood.com, too. I would not stop going there because of one goofy ad. There are much more important things in this world to be concentrating on. Like sex or something.

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genstylez

wtf.

That's all I thought about when i saw that commercial.

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omega2K4

The commercial is cool.

WE LOVE THE SUBS!

COZ THEY ARE GOOD TO US!

and THEY HAVE A PEPPER BAR.

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Arsenic7

*cough*

I bought the wrong banannas.

Edit: I guess I should clarify and note that the link is to a little ditty by rathergood.com

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viejo gringo

Damn girl. I was just thinking about having a pizza, and that really turned me off...just glad there are no franchizes down here..I wouuld rate that right up there with the tripa they cook and eat at the flea markets...(tripe)...

jasonresno

To the original poster: My thoughts EXACTLY. If I were hungry and in wanted to try out new food...the last place I would try is a place that advertises their store with ugly rats...

meepa

I think the ad is meant to appeal to a certain internet-savvy audiance who would have seen those rat things on www.rathergood.com. I personally couldn't believe it when I saw them on TV... I think think that website was so popular! I thought it was pretty funny. I bet there is a good segment of viewers who would see that commercial, laugh, and totally REMEMBER that ad, which would make them want to go to Quiznos. I don't think it's any different than the ads that take themselves too seriously... either way, it is just aiming at different audiances.

mingusfingers

I liked it, and never seen rathergood.com.
/shrug

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santafe5000

I have only eaten at Quizno's once and after being subjected to this bit of "advertising", I use this term loosely, I don't think i'll be seaching them out.

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G5_Todd

i actually found it pretty funny

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soccerchamp76

I personally love Quiznos, especially the Mesquite Chicken with Bacon......damn its good.

But Tritium is hitting the nail on the head: Jingles are made with simple noets so you remember them and they "get stuck in your head." This is what they want. Quiznos used these annoying rats in a commercial and now everyone is talking about them...good for Quiznos. The more people talk about the ad, the more people will be interested in the ad or Quiznos itself.

I think the ad execs will call this one a success

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