A small furry creature, wearing a bowler hat, levitates across your T. screen as he sings an ode to Quiznos subs. Nearby, another floating creature wearing an 18th century pirate/seafaring hat, strums on an acoustic guitar. The lyrics they sing go a little something like this: "We love the subs!!!! "Cuz they are good to us. The Quizno subs!!! They are tasy, they are crunchy, they are warm because they toast them. They got a pepper bar!!!" Weird right? If there wasn't a picture of a Quiznos establishment in the background, you may be confused as to what this ad was trying to sell you. The creatures are followed by mouthwatering shots of three types of Quiznos subs being prepared in all their toasted glory, while a narrator reads off the names of these new sandwich creations. Although at first this ad may seem abstract and meaningless, this flash animation short is actually a work of marketing genius.
First of all, this ad definitely appeals to the psychological need to satisfy curiosity. What the hell are these things? Hamsters with birth defects? Mr. Potato Roadkill? Marmosets suffering from leprecy? Pygmy Monkies? That question really is never answered, leaving you to ponder that very question the next day in school, or at the water cooler. Although these odd looking creatures may not be the most appetizing looking specimens to be selling you food, they do stick in your head, in affect, you find yourself singing their sub song and pondering on their existence, as well as pondering the subs they are singing about. Hey, if these squashed gerbils enjoy these subs so much, maybe I will too! (need for affiliation?). .
The appearance of these creatures satisfies our psychological need for aesthetic sensation. Although they may be unappealing to some, their lo-fi, flash animation look is very interesting and bizarre. While most television commercials have huge budgets and are very flashy and professional looking, this ad with it's low budget look is very interesting and almost "cutting edge" in it's own way.
