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  #1   ^
Old Fri, Jul-30-04, 14:59
gotbeer's Avatar
gotbeer gotbeer is offline
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Default "'Why Are Americans So Fat?' Headlines Tray-liners in German SUBWAY restaurants"

For Immediate Release

July 27, 2004 CONTACT: Ken Boehm 703-237-1970

SUBWAY Unveils New European Advertising Strategy – Attack U.S. Symbols, Insult Americans

“Why Are Americans So Fat?” Headlines Tray-liners in German SUBWAY restaurants


http://www.nlpc.org/view.asp?action=viewArticle&aid=583

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today the National Legal and Policy Center called on the SUBWAY restaurant chain to immediately stop a European advertising campaign designed to exploit anti-American sentiment in countries like Germany. SUBWAY restaurants in Germany now feature tray-liners and posters promoting the film “Super Size Me.” They portray an obese Statue of Liberty holding a package of fries and a hamburger and begin with the bold headline “Why Are Americans So Fat?”

“SUBWAY has defined a new low in corporate behavior with this campaign,” said Ken Boehm, Chairman of the National Legal and Policy Center. He continued, “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.

“We agree with House Majority Leader Tom DeLay when he says, ‘This is every bad stereotype about corporate America come true.’”

The National Legal and Policy Center provided a translation of the tray-liner and announced that it would open an investigation into SUBWAY and its financial connections with the film “Super Size Me” and its director, comedian Morgan Spurlock.

To see the actual tray-liner, visit www.nlpc.org. The translation of the tray-liner is as follows:

HEAD: “Why are the Americans so fat?”

Michael Moore quote: “The only time I have been scared for my life has been going through a McDonald’s drive-thru.”

The New York Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock asked in Michael-Moore-style this profound question and lived on fast food in a self-experiment for 30 days of only products of the largest fast-food chain in the world. Astonishingly [the results]: 25 pounds more around the ribs, alarming liver count and blood count, which would alarm any doctor.

In his top-Satire, which won the prize for best direction in Sundance 2004 for an outstanding film, Spurlock questions the responsibility of affiliated groups and consumers, the large amount of money that the “fast-food-culture” has made and the alternative – to make the heavy-weighted Americans again a healthier population. An ironic blow to the stomach - loaded with a lot of fat and facts about a questionable mega-industry.

Super Size Me
A true fat film by Morgan Spurlock…Now in theaters!

Don’t care what you eat? Then do not allow yourself to miss this exciting and important Film about the dangers of poor nourishment – it will open your eyes!


NLPC promotes ethics in public life and sponsors the Corporate Integrity Project.

###

Based in Falls Church, Virginia, the NLPC promotes ethics, openness and accountability in government through research, education and legal action. NLPC distributes the Code of Ethics for Government.

107 Park Washington Court • Falls Church, VA • 22046
703-237-1970 • 703-237-2090 • www.nlpc.org
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  #2   ^
Old Fri, Jul-30-04, 16:06
Nancy LC's Avatar
Nancy LC Nancy LC is offline
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Aren't Germans known for being rather corpulent?
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  #3   ^
Old Fri, Jul-30-04, 17:59
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bevbme bevbme is offline
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Can we get someone in Germany to prove this is or is not happening?

It sounds like Mcdonald bashing to me even if it is true not AMerican bashing- or maybe that is just the normal advertising push for the super size movie.
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  #4   ^
Old Fri, Jul-30-04, 21:03
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Angeline Angeline is offline
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While I'd agree they are poking fun, I wouldn't call this "a campaign designed to exploit anti-American sentiment in countries like Germany". They are exploiting a stereotype, something that has been done over and over in advertising campaign. Every nationality has been targeted at one time or another. I've seen stand up comedy routine that poked fun of French Canadians and laughed as hard as anyone. People need to either get a thicker skin or develop a sense of humour.
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  #5   ^
Old Fri, Jul-30-04, 21:09
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potatofree potatofree is offline
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...and it would be an effective advertisement for the movie even if it was in AMERICAN restaurants. Wasn't that the point of the movie, an experiment to see if our super-size mentality is what leads to the overweight problem? Not to mention the good press for Subway, an American franchise.
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  #6   ^
Old Fri, Jul-30-04, 21:13
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simplydawn simplydawn is offline
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I found this very offensive... I went to the site, and pulled up the pdf of the actual advert. and there is a pic of a man with a pound of fries hanging out of his face and a VERY rotund statue of liberty!

pdf of actual ad

I am extremely disappointed in Subway.
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  #7   ^
Old Fri, Jul-30-04, 21:24
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potatofree potatofree is offline
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It's the same face they use in the American ads. http://www.supersizeme.com/
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  #8   ^
Old Fri, Jul-30-04, 22:24
seyont seyont is offline
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Referring to us as "Amis" is mildly disrespectful, but how else are you going to fit all the letters on a page? A little dig at McDonald's by Subway, I thought it was funny.

Moore's quote was more like "the only time you have to worry about me is if/when you catch me at the McD's drive-thru window"

The last bit is "You DO care about what you eat? Then don't miss this surprising and WITTY film..."

They love their McDonald's in Germany (and Budweiser- go figure!), Subway has a serious hill to climb.
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  #9   ^
Old Fri, Jul-30-04, 22:54
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kyrasdad kyrasdad is offline
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I think it's pretty lame.
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  #10   ^
Old Sat, Jul-31-04, 00:57
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Frederick Frederick is offline
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I'll never fully understand why Subway has become so popular.

I mean, their sandwiches aren't really sandwiches--at least not the sort I grew up with eating. Subway sandwiches are nothing more than two large logs of bread, too many vegetables, and a few thin slices of meat that you can't ever taste since they're buried within the jungle of stuff in your two mini loaves of bread. What kind of sandwich is that? You couldn't pay me enough to eat that let alone having me pay for it.

The sandwiches I grew up eating were, say, on a relatively thin french baguette with lots of cheese and meat that were at least an inch thick with mayo instead of veggies. Or, the philly cheese steak with lots of sizzled steak with melted creamy cheddar and grilled onions. Now, those are sandwiches.

Subway is an abberation that I'll never consider a sandwich. I know, in this aspect, I'm time warped.

Frederick
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  #11   ^
Old Sat, Jul-31-04, 04:31
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Lez Lez is offline
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I’m in Hamburg next week for 2 days so I will have a look see what is going on.

As for the Germans being corpulent well that’s because of the beer, the beautiful amber stuff that tastes like kissing an angle, and because of the purity laws that should be law in every country.

Lez.
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  #12   ^
Old Sat, Jul-31-04, 07:17
Saigo Saigo is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nancy LC
Aren't Germans known for being rather corpulent?

I don't know! But I know they kept shooting at my dad back in the 40's! And that made him very nervous!

My knee jerk reaction to this movie's promo gimmick was to be insulted. It bothered me more to think these images were floating around Europe, portraying Americans in a bad light, than it bothered me that the images were being shown here in the U.S., where we're allowed to poke fun at ourselves if we want to.

But after a second thought I saw the whole thing as pretty funny. And I believe there's enough truth in the message that we'll have to go ahead and take it on the chin with this one. We have been a bigger is better, if some is good more must be better, sort of culture for awhile now. I also think that on the whole we've started to recognize that enjoying across the board excesses, just because we can, isn't always what's best for us, and we're making some changes. In the meantime I guess we'll have to live with the rest of the world noticing that we've been excessive. I don't think this movie or those promotional tray-liners are the world's first clue.
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  #13   ^
Old Sat, Jul-31-04, 17:08
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kyrasdad kyrasdad is offline
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After thinking about it, I think Subway was, in a bungling way, trying to take advantage of anti-American feelings in Europe. I always thought that their marketing has been fairly brilliant, but they should have anticipated that people would find out about it, and that people might be offended. There is no reason for them to use Americans to market to Germans in a negative manner other than trying to take advantage of these feelings.

Honestly, they have been pretty golden in their marketing, with Jared, then with being among the first to dive in with low carb in a big way. This seems very incompetent, and I see it as a really low class way to market. Perhaps the European division gets to make its own marketing decisions.
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  #14   ^
Old Tue, Aug-03-04, 11:42
seyont seyont is offline
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Subway pulled the campaign (und auf Deutsch )

Last edited by seyont : Tue, Aug-03-04 at 11:52.
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  #15   ^
Old Tue, Aug-03-04, 14:16
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fitchic fitchic is offline
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I'm glad that they wised up about this and decided to pull the ads. It was sort of a shameless marketing scheme on the part of Subway to capitalize on the success of Super Size Me.

The funny thing is that I don't think that Germans are going to react to this film the same way that most americans did.
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