SUBWAY: THE SIDEKICK SALUTE

The Super Bowl is probably the most branded event in the history of planet Earth. And when Subway gave us 30K to hack the big game and promote their new Footlong Sidekicks, we knew we had to do something revolutionary. So we targeted the last unbranded real estate in the entire broadcast: Super Bowl referees. And we taught them a custom, never-been-seen hand signal to tell the world, on football’s biggest stage, how much they love our new footlong cookies, churros and pretzels. 

We dropped our launch video on Twitter a few days before the game. The only question was…would these famously rule-abiding refs actually go through with it? 

CD/CW: Jake Reilly, CD/AD: Byron Wages

The game began. We watched the refs closely. And for the entire first quarter, we didn’t see a single Sidekick Salute. We thought we were cooked, and that our brilliant influencer strategy had failed. Until…

It happened.

They were doing it THE REFS WERE DOING IT.

So of course we celebrated.

Again and again, those Super Bowl referees did our Sidekick Salute. Some of the players joined as well.

People at home were doing it too, so we hooked them up with free Footlong Sidekicks.

So after the game, emotionally spent, we wiped the tears from our faces and declared victory.