Subway: The $5 Racists?
by Jade
Subway’s new campaign for their $5 subs allows you to send custom emails and text message from an Abe Lincoln $5 cut out, fashioned with a green sweat band around his head that says “Home of da $5 Footlong”, big shiny “bling” in his ear, a shiny dollar sign pendant around his neck and oversized aviator glasses.
Below, see the marvelous (and by marvelous I mean marvelously horrendous) email I was able to put together to send to my friends and family:
Yo,
I’m ‘bout to destroy a $5 Footlong at SUBWAY. That deal’s so tight you’re gonna buy me lunch.
Oooh, here’s another gem that was put together and sent to me:
‘Sup Boo,
I’m ‘bout to destroy a $5 Footlong at SUBWAY. That deal’s so tight you’re gonna buy me lunch.
Click Here to See the Email In Action
Then all you have to do is click on the “Preview your Holla” button to watch Abe say it… Oooh, goody…only I think I’m going to be sick. I mean, Really? REALLY!?
According to subway, their everyday value is “somethin’ to holla about”. I think that I’ll only be hollering at the blatant stereotypes in this new campaign. I mean, how does this get from concept to launch without a single person raising their hand and saying “I think this might be a bad idea?”
Think I’m making this up? Check it for yourself: http://www.subwayfreshbuzz.com/
And then “Holla Back” at Subway your comments: comments@subway.com
Category: News, web 2.0 | Tags: damn shame, subway $5 sub campaign, subway fresh buzzDid you like this article? Share It!
Crazy Old Cracker says:
I had never seen this ad before. It has nothing to do with race, and is all about hip-hop subculture. There are tons of white kids who dress and talk like this; there have been for years, even in places where there are hardly any black kids, like Idaho. Thanks to the internet and cable, hip-hop culture is ubiquitous. Don’t believe me? Visit Spokane, Boise, or Salt Lake, and see for yourself! Hip-hop isn’t “black” anymore, it’s mainstream and is replacing country/redneck as the subculture of choice for a new generation of white trash. Check out http://www.grimyglendale.com all about the 623, or http://www.flatbillers.com all about the 909. Those are the folks Subway is targeting with these ads. Yee-haw! Holla Back!
D. says:
The one with the asian laundrymat worker was racist as well.
Raulito says:
You folks need to stop being so sensitive. It was funny because it is making fun of how ridiculous and artificial the hip hop culture is and how commercialized it has become. You really have to try and speak like that, like a total moron that learned English on the corner next to a 7-eleven.
Stella says:
Subway must have removed the Abe Lincoln e-mail ad. I could not find it after following your link and going through their site.
If they have removed it, it would indicate that they knew it could touch a nerve but just wanted to see how far they could push the envelope.
Jabba says:
Racist? Don’t be ridiculous, and please remember that there are many other people in this world who speak like that, regardless of race. It’s a stereotypical thing, and part of our modern world.
As many people have already pointed out, if it had been a characitured chinaman offering you a Sub with an amusing accent, do you think China would be up in arms about it all? No.
Get over yourself. This is inclusion. We all get little jokes thrown at us by popular media, and you have to be prepared to accept it in good spirits. Subway are clearly not embarking on a campaign of racial hate.. it’s a JOKE.
This is exactly the reason that racism and discrimination still happen across the world. Non-black people are afraid to come into contact with a black person (or even mention the colour black around them) for fear of being branded a racist.
I’m going to have to stop reading this blog before I give myself a hernia.
free slots says:
It's just a stereotype. You hear people of all colors use that gangsta slang, and it sounds ridiculous no matter who says it.