Posted on 07/29/2004 7:51:26 AM PDT by ConservativeMajority
(Talon News) -- The Subway Restaurant chain recently launched an advertising campaign in Germany that asks, "Why are Americans so fat?" House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) finds the insulting promotion too much to swallow, saying that for some companies, "corporate patriotism is as flexible as Jared's waistline." Jared Fogle is a Subway spokesman who claims to have reduced his weight from 435 pounds to 245 pounds on a diet of Subway sandwiches.
German customers are being served their sandwiches on a trayliner that promotes the movie "Super Size Me," the story of filmmaker Morgan Spurlock's month-long splurge of eating only McDonald's food. He says his overeating caused him to add 25 pounds and raised his liver and blood count to unhealthy levels. Spurlock questions the responsibility of the "fast-food culture" for endangering Americans' health.
The advertising text uses a derogatory term for Americans -- Amis -- and features an obese caricature of the Statue of Liberty holding a hamburger and fries.
The ad also features a quote from controversial 300-plus pound filmmaker Michael Moore that says, "The only time I have been scared for my life has been going through a McDonald's drive-thru."
DeLay said, "It is clear that Subway has done very well for decades due to the patronage of Americans. For Subway to thumb its nose at its American customers and promote Michael Moore's blame-America-first conspiracy in a foreign country is very concerning."
The National Legal and Policy Center has called on Subway to immediately stop the promotion it says is designed to exploit anti-American sentiment in countries like Germany.
Chairman Ken Boehm said, "Subway has defined a new low in corporate behavior with this campaign."
He added, "Inflaming cultural tensions to increase market share is immoral and dangerous. Americans deserve to know about Subway's campaign to insult us abroad and to attack our national symbols."
Frontiers of Freedom has sent a letter to Subway Founder and President Fred DeLuca asking him to immediately recall the offensive trayliners.
Vice President of Policy Kerri Houston said, "This is an outrageous example of poor corporate citizenship and judgment."
She continued, "Your support of Morgan Spurlock and Subway's promoting him as the "new" far left Michael Moore are very troubling. Both men's misleading and factually dishonest 'documentaries' advance a 'Blame America First' message."
Houston complains that the mockery of Americans and their national symbols is an insult coming from a company that has profited handsomely by the patronage of its customers in the United States.
"Super Size Me" won the award for Best Direction at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.
Subway is based in Milford, CT and has over 21,000 restaurants in 76 countries.
An image of the trayliner can be viewed online at www.nlpc.org.
Copyright © 2004 Talon News -- All rights reserved.
Is this real?
If so, anyone down for a Whoopi style letter writing campaign and boycott?
I'm in. Not that big a fan anyway.
Scared that they might run out of Big-Macs.
"Adding Subway to the 'never give them another dime' list"
How incredibly stupid of them to do this. This will cause them to lose a great deal of money and a mountain of goodwill. After all, sandwiches are not exactly difficult to make......
I am in. Got any email addresses or fax numbers???
Now it's official. I used to not really like Subway all that much. Now I have a good reason not to like them at all.
Too bad their only direct sandwich competition in the NYC metro area is Blimpies. Hmmm, there's gotta be a joke in there somewhere.
"I am in. Got any email addresses or fax numbers???"
http://www.subway.com/subwayroot/Applications/CustServ/frmAskUs.aspx
"Contact Information
If you would like to send your comments and questions
by ground mail, please use the following address:
Subway Franchise Headquarters
325 Bic Drive
Milford, CT 06460 USA
Tel.(203) 877-4281 / (800) 888-4848 "
Bic drive? As in Bic, the FRENCH cheap-pen and cheap-lighter company?
Subway Franchise Headquarters
325 Bic Drive
Milford, CT 06460 USA
Tel.(203) 877-4281 / (800) 888-4848
Yeah yeah, Americans are all fat and stupid.
The Americans that win all those Olympic gold medals, cure diseases, go to the Moon, and serve in uniform are just anomalies, right?
And let me add that the biggest McDonalds I ever saw was in Schweinfurt, Germany- 2 floors, each floor huge, with its own garage, and the place was open until 4 AM.
Dude! You really need a Quiznos!!!
Very expensive mistake by Subway, I suspect.
I will be doing my part to insure it.
How bout you?
Here's an email for them also:
asksubway@subway.com
Once while traveling in Oklahoma I stopped at what is billed as the biggest McDonalds in the world. I never got a sense of hugeness while there but it was roomy. It also had a gift shop with McDonalds memorabilia which was unusual I must admit.
Duly FReeped.
Another message goes out ... duly FReeped.
>>Dude! You really need a Quiznos!!!<<
Everyone Raves about Quiznos, too bad but I don't think they're out east.
Freeped; and I'm going to post this conspicuously around the University where I work. Students eat at Subway a lot. After seeing this, my guess is they'll be eating there a lot less.
Subway has lousy sandwiches. You need a microscope to find the meat, while veggies are piled on to overflowing.
If you want a vegetable sandwich it's the place to go. For a real sub at a chain, go to Quiznos.
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