footlong - should it be a foot - or is a name, just a name?

Hearing about this thing going viral and I have to wonder... should a corporation be able to sell us short based on a trademark being "just a trademark" - or is this false advertizing?

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business...in-name-alone/

After finding itself in the middle of a sub size controversy, Subway is responding with a claim that its famous footlong subs are just a trademark, not reality.

“SUBWAY FOOTLONG” is a registered trademark as a descriptive name for the sub sold in Subway Restaurants and not intended to be a measurement of length,” reads a comment posted to Subway Australia’s Facebook Wednesday.

“The length of the bread baked in the restaurant cannot be assured each and every time as the proofing process may vary slightly each time in the restaurant,” the post from Subway continues.

The post was in response to a debate begun Tuesday in Australia, when a customer, Matt Corby of Perth, posted a photo of an 11-inch “footlong” sub he’d purchased at a local restaurant on Subway Australia’s Facebook page along with the caption, “subway pls respond.”

The photo quickly went viral and sparked countless comments on Subway’s page, including one from Facebook user Sam Matthew who wrote, “So what is Subways official comment on the fact that their footlong a aren’t in fact a foot long??? Do we have the right to get what we ordered? I joined your Eat Fresh Club and all it’s just an excuse to send me advertising, so much for offers?! Now your subs are getting smaller, your prices are going up, you are charging up to $2 for Avo and I’ve gone from a 5 time a week customer to maybe once a month. Sam.”

It was in reply to Matthew that Subway issued its trademark reply, also adding, “Looking at the photo doing the rounds showing a slightly undersized sub, this bread clearly is not baked to our standards. We have policies in place to ensure that our freshly baked bread is consistent and has the same great taste no matter which Subway restaurant around the world you visit.”

In a statement issued to ABCNews.com Tuesday in response to the first complaint, from Corby, Subway attributed the size discrepancy to the fact that the bread is baked fresh in each of the Milford, Conn.-based company’s 38,000 restaurants worldwide.

“We are committed to providing a consistent product delivering the same amount of bread to the customer with every order. The length however may vary slightly when not baked to our exact specifications. We are reinforcing our policies and procedures in an effort to ensure our offerings are always consistent no matter which Subway restaurant you visit,” the statement read.

When contacted today regarding the trademark claim, a representative for Subway reiterated that the company strives for 12 inches with each footlong sub.

“Most countries, such as Australia, follow the metric system so the term Footlong can only be used as part of a trademark,” a spokesman told ABCNews.com . “Our global standard for a SUBWAY Footlong sandwich is 12 inches regardless of the restaurant’s location.”

What do you think? Sure - bread is one of those things you can't control easily - but should they ensure AT LEAST a FOOT in length?

I am sure if a burger chain were to advertize a half-pound hamburger, and provide their franchisees with a stack of patties that came up short - ie, their uncooked weight of the patties was say... 0.4lb - it would be a blatant rip-off - wouldn't it???

even more disappointing is the pix on the TV are in no way correct to what you actually get!!!

they show a nice beefy Footlong sub on the TV - go to subway someday and see what you get - you can barely see the meat on there even b4 you add the other stuff!!!

Sux !!!

They need to measure from the base

Originally Posted by GeneArch

They need to measure from the base

We really need to get on Apple's case, because there's zero edible fruit in their products.

Originally Posted by GeneArch

They need to measure from the base

It also needs to be standing erect. Maybe they need a sandwich fluffer.

Originally Posted by watchurself

even more disappointing is the pix on the TV are in no way correct to what you actually get!!!

they show a nice beefy Footlong sub on the TV - go to subway someday and see what you get - you can barely see the meat on there even b4 you add the other stuff!!!

Sux !!!

they all do that - did you know if you have freakishly small hands, you can become a "hand model" for a food company!

The worst are the burger companies - your burger will NEVER look remotely like the one in the ad.... I get that they use food stylists - but is something as fundamental as the size of the sandwich being named "footlong" - something it should actually be - ie, 1 foot long!

??!?

Originally Posted by wyb

..What do you think? Sure - bread is one of those things you can't control easily - but should they ensure AT LEAST a FOOT in length?..

I'd say any measurable qualifiers - length, weight, acceleration, etc. - should be sustainable. Anything else is trademarks and marketing, like "ultimate driving machine" - there's no way you can measure the 'ultimate' claim. That's why I think BMW is making strategic mistake with all these 328 or 3.5D model designations - it works short-term as a marketing tool, but waters down the trust and eventually the goodwill of the brand.

Originally Posted by GeneArch

They need to measure from the base

I was just going to say that we lie to our spouse/gf/so's don't we? "This >< is really 8 inches!"

I haven't read the article, but isn't the bread BEFORE baking 12"?
It's like cold water...shrinkage, right?

And what's with this business of 2 x 4s only being 1 1/2 x 3 1/2?

I think I need to go watch "falling down" again. The burger joint scene alone makes that movie worth watching.

Originally Posted by Sportsdad

I was just going to say that we lie to our spouse/gf/so's don't we? "This >< is really 8 inches!"

This is why women can't do parallel parking.

We men have convinced women that | >---------------------------------- THIS MUCH ------------------------------< | is a Footlong.

Originally Posted by wyb

they all do that - did you know if you have freakishly small hands, you can become a "hand model" for a food company!

The worst are the burger companies - your burger will NEVER look remotely like the one in the ad.... I get that they use food stylists - but is something as fundamental as the size of the sandwich being named "footlong" - something it should actually be - ie, 1 foot long!

??!?

Whatever you do, don't weight a Quarter Pounder.

To see how well Subway measures up locally, I decide to go there for lunch today. The sandwich was a touch over 12" long, but the prices seem to have gone up a lot since the last time I was there.

Originally Posted by cwsqbm

Whatever you do, don't weight a Quarter Pounder.

To see how well Subway measures up locally, I decide to go there for lunch today. The sandwich was a touch over 12" long, but the prices seem to have gone up a lot since the last time I was there.

I get that burgers are uncooked weight. That's a given... perhaps the ad should have some fine print that I'm not seeing...



The implication by using the arrows - at least to me - is that it is a foot - long....

Originally Posted by wyb

The implication by using the arrows - at least to me - is that it is a foot - long....

That's the art of advertising - implying something that might not be quite true. Pretty much every ad implies something that isn't quite true.

Originally Posted by GeneArch

They need to measure from the base

And what's up with the new "pound" being only 12oz???

ok - watch their own TV ad:




The ad clearly shows the arrows and "1 Ft" - if that isn't an indication that you should expect a sandwich 12 inches long, I don't know what is.

I don't think it matter that much. Because the amount of bread is probably the same, going by weight. The amount of meat and cheese is also the same, regardless if the bread is an inch shorter. It goes by weight too and is pre-weighted and separated with the wax paper. So the customer gets the same amount of food either with 11 or 12 inches.

You'll probably be a little short or the lettuce and tomatoes, and other condiments they put in there, like pickles, etc.

I think if you talk to an experienced baker - they'll tell you that baking in different parts of the world/altitude etc, makes for a different recipe and/or different product - for instance, baking break here at altitude requires different temp/water levels are different (it is also dry here) - they don't advertize a 1lb sandwich... they advertize a "footlong"... as being 'a foot long'.... might be extremely picky, but if tested by someone with deep pockets, I think they could lose... but in the end as you said... does it matter?


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_2511316.html

When ABC News contacted the company, Subway stated that it strives for 12 inches every time. "Most countries, such as Australia, follow the metric system so the term Footlong can only be used as part of a trademark," a spokesman told ABC News. "Our global standard for a Subway Footlong sandwich is 12 inches regardless of the restaurant's location."

After Corby's Footlong photo went viral, Subway customers around the world shared more photos to prove that their sandwiches also came up short. Four out of seven Footlongs purchased by the New York Post in the NYC region measured only 11 or 11.5 inches.

A Manhattan franchise owner told the Post that Subway's bread is not the only thing shrinking. The cold-cut sizes have been cut by 25 percent. "The distributor has increased the food cost on the individual owners by 4 to 5 percent every year and provided the owners with less food," he told the Post.

I feel some marketing of bushelsworth... as bushels aren't in common usage - I reckon I could get by with selling half a bushel and just give a shrug.. - not in common use and "bushelsworth" is just a name...

Originally Posted by wyb

they don't advertize a 1lb sandwich... they advertize a "footlong"... as being 'a foot long'.... might be extremely picky, but if tested by someone with deep pockets, I think they could lose...

While I'm not saying they couldn't loose (never underestimate the odds of having twelve randomly selected people being complete idiots), a simple retort is "it is as long as a foot - the average foot is less than 12" long".

Given that I hadn't eat at Subway in a long time (JJ rules), I was surprised at the prices yesterday. Yes, they sell a $5 foot long, but only for a couple selections. Mine was $6.50+tax - almost $7 for a Subway sandwich. I guess those Jimmy John sandwiches aren't overpriced.

Originally Posted by cwsqbm

While I'm not saying they couldn't loose (never underestimate the odds of having twelve randomly selected people being complete idiots), a simple retort is "it is as long as a foot - the average foot is less than 12" long".

Given that I hadn't eat at Subway in a long time (JJ rules), I was surprised at the prices yesterday. Yes, they sell a $5 foot long, but only for a couple selections. Mine was $6.50+tax - almost $7 for a Subway sandwich. I guess those Jimmy John sandwiches aren't overpriced.

I have to be dragged into subway myself... I much prefer quiznos....