Subway attacked for anti-American advertising in Europe

[Robbien]

Gordon MacMillan, Brand Republic 08:45 29-07-2004
LONDON – US sandwich chain Subway Restaurants has been accused of anti-American advertising in Europe in a new ad campaign that asks 'Why are Americans so fat?'.

Subway has been called on to stop the ad campaign, which is currently being run in Germany, where tray-liners and posters are promoting 'Super Size Me', the documentary about McDonald's fast food, by portraying an obese Statue of Liberty holding a package of fries and a hamburger with the headline "Why are Americans so fat?".

The calls for the campaign to be withdrawn are being led by conservative US government watchdog, the National Legal and Policy Center, which says that the campaign is designed to exploit anti-American sentiment.

A second US group, Frontiers of Freedom, said the campaign was fanning the flames of anti-Americanism in Europe and called it an unethical and unpatriotic way to increase market share and sell fast-food sandwiches.

http://www.brandrepublic.com/mediabulletin/news_story.cfm?articleID=217885&Origin=MB29072004

[Frances]

1. Why is this funny?

I am not sure, but I laughed when I read it.

[candy]

4. I laughed too-----we should all lighten up!!! No pun intended.

[HuckleB]

2. The campaign is what it is, but I don't spend money at Subway.

I don't necessarily have a problem with the campaign by Subway, but I no longer spend any money in their restaurants, as Subway has made it clear that it will use and promote any and every diet fad it can in order to improve sales, regardless of the scientific efficacy behind said diets.

Thus, this European campaign seems like an extension of their corporate philosophy of "do anything" to sell them samiches. Besides, while we are still fatter than Europeans, they are working hard to catch up with us as they frequent American fast food and Euro fast food copycats more and more, leaving the campaign with little actual substance.

Not that Subway is any less responsible or any worse than its competition. Heck, it took "Supersize Me" to force McDonald's to begin to make changes to its menu, and, then, only because the company feared a continuing loss of sales.

Responsibility seems to be lost on fast-food chains, and I wonder why Right Wing groups like the National Legal and Policy Center and Frontiers of Freedom don't spend time exhorting fast-food companies to create more responsible menus.

What's more, we all know that these organizations said nothing last year, while our goofball Representatives in DC turned French Fries, French Bread and French Toast into "Freedom Fries" etc...

Sorry, but maybe we should take care of the prejudice back home before we worry about others. Or maybe we should think about the bottom-line sources of anti-American sentiment for once. Hmm. Nah, that would be too hard and too useful.

[noonwitch]

9. Blimpie is better

Subway's quality varies from store to store. Every Blimpie I've gone to has given me a great sub. It's virtually the same, as far as what's on the menu. Subway used to always cut their bread in that stupid way that got on my nerves. That's when I started going to Blimpies.

I like Quizno's, too, but they did away with their side cesar salad, which was really good. At least they are no longer running those annoying ads with the hamster thingies.

[HuckleB]

10. Those ads rocked! Quizno's rules!

And the campaign worked, too!

The Creatures From the Sandwich Shop -- Behind the singing rodents in the Quiznos ad.
http://slate.msn.com/id/2095868/

:)

[The Stranger]

16. Now THIS made me laugh . . .

Subway used to always cut their bread in that stupid way that got on my nerves.

[mermaid]

3. God In HEAVEN...

they can't take the TRUTH, can they?
Americans ARE fat-ass lard buckets! And it is precisely because we eat garbage. And yes, I'm an American.

I remember a trip to Thailand I made a couple years ago.

One could easily spot the American tourists and tell them apart from the European tourists...look for the FAT ones...they were, almost universally, the Americans!

Truth hurts, don't it?

So, why ARE we so fat?

For one thing, we spend more time at work than ANY culture in the industrialized world. And our jobs, over the years, have steadily become ever-more sedentary. so, we are not moving around as much at work...and e have ever-decreasing amounts of leisure time to exercise away from work.

We have, also, far less time to prepare healthful meals for ourselves, and fast food becomes the quick and easy answer for the time-pressed American.

Add them together, and you end up with FATASSES!!

We need MORE leisure time in which to exercise, to prepare more healthful meals...and we need to modify our jobs to be less sedentary. Of course, this results in a diminished productivity, and so business will never go for it.

But THAT is how to arrest the epidemic of fat-assed-ness in America.
Obesity my left clavicle, call it what it is...FAT-ASSED-NESS!!

And it is brought about by the circumstances in which most Americans are forced to live.

Let's face it, after putting in eight hours a day, plus two or three hours of overtime, who the HELL wants to do ANYTHING other than plop down on the couch, with a Big Mac and Fries, and relax for a little while?

Who the hell has the time, energy or drive to actually exercise, when their life has been sucked from them by their employer?

Edited for typos....

[BiggJawn]

11. And why do we work so much?

Because Production is next to Godliness. Over and over, we hear about the "Murkan Work Ethic". Our kids are alone at home, and we get there ourselves after 7pm, too fried to do anything but eat and stare at the Tee-Vee for a few hours before falling asleep, but by golly, we WORK! Those decadent Europeans have lost sight of what makes you a rightous, virtous person. A 35-hour work week? A paid day-off every month, so you can clean your apartment? The whole MONTH of August off, with pay??? (waitaminnit...that's what Shrub does) SCANDALOUS! That's just plain lazy, and the Devil LOVES laziness. "Idle hands are the Devil's Workshop", never forget that, so get off your ass and get to work!

Just because you CAN work 80 hours a week is no reason to.

[LibLabUK]

14. Umm..

"A 35-hour work week?"

That's the norm, but mine is 37.5 and the legal limit in the EU is 48.

"A paid day-off every month"

Never experienced that.

"The whole MONTH of August off, with pay???"

Maybe in France.. but here in the UK we get roughly 21 days paid leave per year (which usually increases over the course of your employment... my father ended up with 35 days fully paid leave per year when he retired).

The main thing that we get that I think is absolutely fabulous is our statutory sick pay. I get 6 months full paid sick leave, 6 months half-pay sick leave and then the rest at the standard sick rate (which is set by the government, and I'm not sure what it is). That is per year btw.

[CrispyQ]

15. The whole MONTH of August off, with pay???

Our congress gets that.

[BiggJawn]

18. We have a "standard sick rate" too...

It's ZERO...

I have to use up to 4 weeks of my accrued sick leave (if I don't HAVE 4 weeks accrued, I'm fucked), then I get 4 weeks of "short-term" disability, (at 1/2 pay) then I think 25 weeks of "long-term" disability (at 1/3 pay) then I'm out on my disabled ass.
And I think that is one-time, i.e. if I'm temporarilay laid-up for 6 months, I've used most of my disablity benefit.
This is set by my employer, in effort to keep us serfs from Organizing. The goverment sets nothing.

The month of August was traditionally a shut-down time in Germany. The whole Volkswagenwerk would go on holiday for the month, and i believe BMW did as well. found that out when I was researching date of manufacture info. The paid day off thing was German as well.

And yes, I'm aware that European industry is adopting the American model of "work 'em till they drop", much as we played with Japanese "inovations" like Quality Circles and company songs...Probably with the same results.

[Lizzie Borden]

32. It's called "the Protestant Work Ethic" ...

and the "Spirit of Capitalism". It's been here as long as the Puritans. Basically it goes like this: You work really hard, god rewards you by giving you lots of stuff, and now, because of all your stuff, everybody can see how virtuous you are, and everybody will know your'e goin' to heaven. America has more important stuff to worry about than fat.

[cliss]

20. heh heh funny

You're right. It's really hard to win an argument when you've got a butt that's 3 feet wide. Really. Sorry, but the sympathy tears just aren't coming.

And think of the health dangers with being really fat. There are some two-legged free-roaming buffaloes here at the office. They eat - guess what? Big, huge McLunches.

I have a sedentary job (I sit all day) but I'm thin. I eat home-made salads for lunch. I walk up and down the stairs (the McBeefies ride the elevator). I usually take a walk at lunch (they sit and talk in the lunch room). 2+ 2 = fat

[Devils Advocate NZ]

24. Why are thin people so arrogant?

I'd rather be fat, than an arsehole.

[mermaid]

28. LOL

I'm fat...but, in defense of those thin "assholes"

I'D RATHER BE AN ASSHOLE...THAN A WHOLE ASS...LIKE US FAT ASSES!!

[David__77]

5. But wait--why ARE Americans so fat?

I think everyone knows the answer to that. Subway isn't talking about anything we ourselves do not know.

[smirkymonkey]

25. I wonder how much of our obesity epidemic

could be attributed to psychological factors? As a fear based culture, it seems like our primary source of comfort is food. Since we tend to be perpetually on guard, we attempt to assuage our fear and other negative emotions by stuffing them down w/ food & sometimes alcohol (which is also very fattening - raises insulin levels, promotes hypoglycemia).

I also think that stress, which leads to increased cortisol levels that increase appetite and affect insulin levels, has something to do with our tendency to be heavier than our European counterparts.

Also agree that our high sugar/starch, fatty food diet and lack of activity (car culture) promote our heaviness as well. I walk everywhere and don't snack and I pretty much don't have to be too careful about how much I eat at meals. We are so disembodied, that we don't even know when we are TRULY (physically) hungry, because we eat for so many varied reasons.

[mermaid]

29. True!!

and our daily lives are SO stress-filled, that we cannot cope any other way, it seems!
And it is all brought on by our slave-masters (employers)

[Tempest]

6. The Truth Hurts

The Obesity Epidemic

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/US/Obesity_summit.html

[bleedingedge]

7. Here's My Favorite Part

"said the campaign was fanning the flames of anti-Americanism in Europe"

What does it say about our country when we pillory samiches for fanning anti-Americanism, and yet a good number of our citizenry can't see how pre-emptive war does the same thing?

People, this country is one fucked up fatty.

[Lorien]

8. Funny this is

whenever I'm in France, Switzerland, or any place in Europe South of Germany, I tend to notice that the only OTHER fat tourists are Germans! OK, they don't have quite the number of obese people the US does, but I think it's a smart campaign on Subway's part. Just sort of saying "look guys, you don't want to let it go THAT far, do you"?

Besides, it's truthful. American have gotten to the point of taking any unflattering truths as "anti-American" or "far left liberal bias". Any more, it seems as if you aren't a good Kool-aid swilling member of the great cult of America the infalliable, you're "unethical and unpatriotic". This maddness has got to end!

[hatrack]

12. Frontiers of Freedom - Blecchhh!!!!!!!

For a bunch of Magic Marketeers, they don't seem to be applauding Subway's marketing strategy, designed to increase sales and profits - and after all, isn't that what the American Way is all about? Isn't their job to get out of the way and let the entrepreneurs entrepeneut - or whatever they do?

What a bunch of fools & tools - but considering that it's fronted by Reagan's former Com. Sec., no surprise.

[PDX Bara]

34. "...let the entrepreneurs entrepeneut..."

"...- or whatever they do." I love your new verb: entrepeneut.

[Kellanved]

13. Yes, obesity is getting a real problem for the healthcare system.

However that is a general trend in Europe, neither limited to, nor worst in Germany.

[tom_paine]

22. The only way the madness can end, I think, is to burn itself out

Which is why the Busheviks are so swiftly implementing Totalitarianism so they can Hitler-up when things start to spiral out of control.

[soupkitchen]

17. Its our fat heads that fans anti-americanism not our fat asses

[Lizzie Borden]

33. absolutely! n/t

[geek tragedy]

19. W isn't fat, and they hate him. Clinton is fat, and they love him. n/t

[thebigidea]

21. er, why is a conservative US group meddling with European ad campaigns?

can you imagine if some FRENCH group did the same to us? Can you imagine the howl of Scarboroughy protest that would ensue?

"fanning the flames of anti-Americanism in Europe and called it an unethical and unpatriotic way to increase market share and sell fast-food sandwiches."

Er, its Europe. Why would they be patriotic about the US?

This coming from the country that brought us freedom fries and sitting Senators that sneer about Kerry speaking French.

[mermaid]

30. didn't you Know

that other countries are supposed to bow down and kiss our collective American fat-ass?
We are obviously so far superior to the Euros it is unbelivable.

And WE are always right.

(tongue out of cheek now)

[Joanne98]

23. So when does the Subway boycott begin?

Make them tear down their signs and change their name to "Freedom Sandwiches". lol

[w4rma]

26. Prices of healthy food in America are price gouged(or at least overpriced)

and prices of fattening food are sold at a discount for mass quantaties.

It should be the other way around.

[HuckleB]

27. They reflect the true cost of good food, while crap food is subsidized.

So, yeah, if we're going to subsidize anything, why not subsidize fresh, unprocessed stuff?

I think it makes too much sense. Why else would things be as they are?

[mermaid]

31. Because There Isn't As Much PROFIT

to be made in fresh, unprocessed foods...didn't you know that?