It’s the 50th anniversary of Mr. Submarine, a classic Chicago-based sub sandwich chain. So Quality Meats has created 50 commercials to celebrate. Why 50?
“Creating 50 commercials for Mr. Submarine’s 50th anniversary was an extremely dumb idea, possibly one of the dumbest we’ve ever had,” stated Gordy Sang, co-founder and co-CCO of Quality Meats. “Which means it was something we absolutely had to do.”
For decades, Mr. Submarine has been infamous for its comically corny commercials (like this one and this one), a staple on local Chicago television. So Quality Meats tapped into that heritage – times 50. The addictively cringe-y commercials were produced by Quality House’s production arm Sandwiches.
The commercials are made in a range of lengths and styles, with one thing in common – they all use the ‘80s jingle as a punchline. Some feature local Chicago celebrities, including former Chicago Bears wide receiver, Tom Waddle; former White Sox player and coach, Ozzie Guillen; former Cubs player, Jason Kipnis;, Chicago DJ, Eddie Volkman (from famed duo Eddie & Jobo); film critic, Richard Roeper; and longtime Chicago sports anchor, Mark Giangreco. Some integrate other Chicago advertisers, such as personal injury lawyer, Howard Ankin; United Auto Insurance; Aaronson Furniture; The Bedding Experts; and there’s even a remake of one Chicago’s most infamously bad local commercials, Eagle Man. Over 40 were filmed with local Chicago actors (directed by Chicago native and actor Brad Morris and filmed over the course of two days at a Mr. Submarine in Chicago suburb Downers Grove), while a handful were created purely with AI.
“Their classic jingle is an earworm, and also a cheat code we used as a punchline,” stated Brian Siedband, co-founder and co-CCO of Qualty Meats. “‘Cause when you’re making 50 commercials at once, they’re not all gonna be the best in the world – but like a Mr. Submarine sub itself, most of them are pretty darn good.”
Select 30- and 15-second spots will air on local television, and all 50 will be shared sporadically on Mr. Submarine’s social accounts, as well as being housed together on the brand’s website. The campaign also features OOH celebrating Mr. Submarine’s 50th anniversary running across the Chicagoland area.
