logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2023
35m 3s

Subway vs Quiznos | One Ounce and You’re...

Wondery
About this episode

It’s 2003 in Miami, Florida and a Subway franchisee comes up with a catchy promotion: the 5 Dollar Footlong. But Subway Corporate is preoccupied with a costly new innovation: special ovens to toast their subs. Robbed of their “toasty” advantage, Quiznos counters with a hip ad featuring uncanny creatures called Spongmonkeys, and a campaign claiming their steak subs have more meat than Subway’s. But the aggressive media campaign has dramatic fallout for franchisees who are already struggling to pay high prices for company-owned food and supplies. As more franchisees fall into debt, store owners rebel.


Binge all episodes early and ad-free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App https://wondery.app.link/businesswars.


Support us by supporting our sponsors!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Jul 11
Flipping the Bird: Elon vs Twitter | Chief Twit | 3
Elon Musk seals his purchase of Twitter with a tweet: ""The bird is freed."" But everyone inside of Twitter soon starts to worry, will the bird soon be dead?Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/ ... Show More
34m 55s
Jul 10
Flipping the Bird: Elon vs Twitter | I Am Supposed to Believe This Man is a Genius? | 2
Elon Musk makes the Twitter board an offer they can’t refuse — a $44 billion offer, to be exact. But this won’t be an easy marriage. No sooner does Twitter accept than Elon starts raising doubts. Publicly, Elon can’t help taking shots at Twitter and its leaders, sending their sto ... Show More
33m 9s
Jul 9
Flipping the Bird: Elon vs Twitter | Maximum Amazing | 1
Twitter is at a crossroads. Its founder, Jack Dorsey, has stepped down from his role as CEO. The social media heavyweight is also under fire for alleged bias, censorship, and the roving army of bot accounts wreaking havoc on the site. In this moment of crisis, the only would-be s ... Show More
29m 9s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2020
McDonald's vs Burger King - Faites comme bon vous semble | 4
Nous sommes dans les années 1970, et les barons du burger se tournent vers la publicité télévisée pour faire grimper les profits en flèche. McDonald's mise sur une petite chanson et une petite danse pour lui donner un avantage concurrentiel, mais Burger King intensifie ses public ... Show More
22m 41s
Jul 2020
McDonald's vs Burger King - Frénésie de consommation | 3
Au milieu des années 60, les Américains ont développé un goût pour la nourriture rapide, délicieuse et abordable — et ils en demandent davantage. Les franchises américaines de restauration rapide — McDonald's, Burger King et Burger Chef — savent que si elles veulent nourrir l'Amé ... Show More
22m 41s
May 2024
🩱 “85% off Ozempic” — Ozempic’s weight-loss dupe. Burger King’s free-tuition strategy. Red Lobster’s shrimp bankrupt-sea.
Coca-Cola, Lockheed Martin, & Burger King are all pursuing the same marketing strategy: Pay your tuition — Companies are dishing out scholarships because brands are the new institutions.Ozempic is facing its first ever dupe, a version that costs 85% less — Hims & Hers found a loo ... Show More
23m 47s
Dec 2023
📓 “Work Homework?” — The Take-Home Assignment job trend. GameStop’s Chief Stonk Officer. McDonald’s new CosMc Spinoff.
The newest restaurant chain in America is “CosMc,” a McDonald’s spin off — It’s taking on Starbucks… and it looks like McDonald’s cousin.GameStop just authorized their CEO to use company money to buy stocks — They turned their CEO into their Chief Investment Officer (and gave him ... Show More
21m 2s
Jun 2024
💳 “The savviest credit carder” — Wells Fargo’s rent card craziness. The stock market’s AI Mafia. DiGiorno’s “Chaos Pizza”.
How Savvy Millennials are causing Wells Fargo to lose $10 million per month on a rent-paying credit card.How the “AI Mafia” of 6 stocks (led by Nvidia) is adding the stock market to the “Vibecession”.And DiGiorno is using what they call “Chaos” to retake their #1 status in frozen ... Show More
23m 28s
Feb 2024
🍦 “$18 for a Frosty?” – Wendy’s surge pricing. The grocery store election. Apple’s canceled iCar.
Inspired by Uber, Wendy’s is adding digital billboards to all locations by 2025 so it can bring Surge Pricing to fast food — How much does a burger cost? Depends on the time of day.Kroger and Albertsons were about to merge in the biggest deal in grocery history, but the governmen ... Show More
19m 34s
Feb 2024
🚾 “The #1 restroom'' — Wawa’s convenience store secret. ChatGPT’s AI Spielberg. Capital One’s Discover acquisition.
Capital One is acquiring Discover Card for $35B, the biggest acquisition of the year — Because credit cards are still a fashion accessory.Wawa, the Philadelphia-based convenience store, is expanding nationwide — But Wawa’s secret to success isn’t the hoagies, it’s the bathrooms.A ... Show More
20m 46s
May 2024
❤️ “Elmo the Influencer” — Sesame Street’s Instagram strategy. Uber’s new Costco run. Google is killing Google Search with AI.
Elmo, Big Bird, and Mr. Snuffleupagus are trending on social media because of Sesame Street’s new strategy — Sometimes you’ve got to do things that don’t scale.Uber just launched its newest form of transportation: A bus — Because public transportation can’t take you to a 10pm con ... Show More
23m 25s
May 2024
🫠 “Promotion, Pay Raise, or Taco Tuesday?” — The secret to job satisfaction. Netflix’s NFL Christmas gift. Wayfair’s 1st megastore.
Job satisfaction just hit a record high 62.7% in America, but it also revealed a strange paradox — More Americans prefer company culture than a promotion or pay raise.Netflix just gave itself the biggest Christmas gift of all: NFL football games for the next 3 Christmases — But N ... Show More
23m 18s