Jared Fogle - Subway Campaign

Subway Campaign

Fogle first came to media attention in April 1999, after Ryan Coleman, a former dormmate of Fogle, ran into him and hardly recognized him because of the lost weight, and wrote an article for Indiana Daily Student about Fogle's weight loss. Men's Health magazine confirmed the story and included the "Subway sandwich diet" in an article, "Stupid Diets. . . that Work!" According to the article, Fogle had become obese by eating junk food and not exercising. Switching to eating at Subway, he changed his eating habits there to include healthier choices and smaller portions free of fattening condiments such as mayonnaise, which was followed by his significant weight loss. A Chicago-area Subway franchisee took the idea to Subway's Chicago advertising agency. The agency confirmed the story by visiting a Subway franchise near the Indiana University campus, where the staff identified him from his description.

Subway's marketing director expressed doubt that a fast food chain could successfully promote healthfulness as a marketing vehicle. The chain's lawyers also expressed concern that there would be liability issues with promoting some sort of informal medical claim. As a test, they ran a regional ad campaign. The first spot aired on January 1, 2000, introducing Fogle and his story, complete with a disclaimer: "The Subway diet, combined with a lot of walking, worked for Jared. We're not saying this is for everyone. You should check with your doctor before starting any diet program. But it worked for Jared."

The commercial was successful, and the Chicago ad agency began receiving calls from USA Today, ABC News, Fox News, and Oprah. The spot then aired nationally, and was followed by sale increases for the chain in 2000 and 2001.

Subway has used Fogle in a number of television commercials and sponsored in-store appearances throughout the United States. Fogle spoke at the grand opening of the first Kosher Subway in Cleveland.

In addition to his work directly for Subway, Fogle gives regular talks on fitness and healthy eating. Since Fogle's advertising campaign began, Subway sales have more than doubled to $8.2 billion, though the portion of the gain attributable to Fogle and his more than 50 Subway commercials cannot be determined. In 2008, a Subway campaign celebrated Fogle's maintaining his weight loss for a full decade, with Fogle's announcement that he would retire his old pair of 62-inch (1.6 m) pants likely to a museum after a final, "Tour de Pants", a humorous reference to the Tour de France.

According to one Subway executive, a brief departure from Fogle in 2005 coincided with a 10 percent drop in sales, until Subway felt compelled to bring him back. Although he still advertises for Subway, Fogle's presence in advertisements has diminished greatly since 2008 due to the company placing more emphasis on its popular "$5 Footlong" promotion as opposed to nutritional value.