I found something interesting on BL Ochman’s whatsnextblog.com about how agency.com taped their pitch process for the coveted Subway AOR and posted it to YouTube. Aside from the approach being clever, it made my mind wander a bit to what I would do with the challenge of pitching Subway, and what new ideas I would come up with for a mature brand that clearly has its USP nailed. How would I help them increase marketshare?

It struck me that Subway isn’t at all strong at marketing to families (i.e.: kids). I’m a semi-regular consumer of Subway and I’ve been in the chain in a number of cities in Canada and the US and I can’t remember the last time I saw a kid in a Subway. Is that not a bit odd?

With families being stong consumers of fast food (I mean c’mon, McDonalds built its empire on billions of tiny stomachs), and kids being a huge influencer in the choice of fast food restaurants, it seems like a real opportunity is staring the chain in the face.

The beauty of Subway is that it is a healthier choice, and with kids, nutrition and good food choices are so important while they’re still forming their eating habits (and their consumption habits…). Subway has a great opportunity to position themselves as a place kids like with food that parents like.

But not only does Subway not market to kids, they don’t consider kids in the experience. I’m not talking about a 20 ft. play structure here, just the basics. For instance, a lot of kids can’t even see over the counter, so they can’t participate in the sandwich-making experience, which is a major part of the fun for a kid. Now I know that Subway can’t go and change all of their counters tomorrow, but it’s just an example of how Subway may be cutting out (and missing out) on a huge segment of the population.

On the off chance that Subway came to 76design for some fresh ideas, I’d tell them to strive for a day when kids get to eat healthy and enjoy the experience. At Subway, of course.