Baker's Square debuts price-cut campaign

Nation's Restaurant News, April 17, 1995

NEW YORK -- Blimpie International Inc. is fighting Subway's strength in numbers by emphasizing product quality in a new series of humorous television and radio spots featuring Blimpie founder Anthony P. Conza.

Based on the new theme, "It's a Beautiful Thing," the advertisements feature Conza, also Blimpie's chairman and president, in a number of comedic scenarios professing his love for the sandwiches he made for the first time more than 30 years ago.

"We are accentuating the integrity and quality of the ingredients and the offerings, which wasn't done before," explained Michael Rowland, management supervisor for Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners, the New York agency that created the campaign.

"These are the best ingredients in the best sandwiches, and we are making the perception higher than that of the closest competitor, Subway," he added.

Despite Blimpie's status as the country's second-largest submarine sandwich chain, Subway far outnumbers the New York-based company with nearly 10,000 outlets compared with nearly 1,000.

Kirshenbaum Bond Partners -- the agency also behind Snapple Iced Tea's funny ads -- developed the "It's a Beautiful Thing" campaign after studying how consumers decide what to eat for lunch as well as what they most liked about Blimpie, Conza said.

"We found that people say, `I'm going to have a hamburger today. Now where shall I eat?' or,`I'm going to have a sandwich today? Where shall I eat?'" he explained. We decided to win Sandwich Day."

To do so, Kirshenbaum officials decided to use Conza to illustrate both his company's dedication to their product and the passion it evokes in three 30-second television ads and three radio spots.

For example, in "Serenade" Conza is pictured singing an a cappella version of "Love You More Than I Can Say." As the camera pans out, viewers see he is singing to a sandwich.

In another, called "Love Seat," the Blimpie founder is shown sitting on a couch, pouring over a photo album. When the camera peers over his shoulder, viewers see that every picture shows a different sandwich.

In the third, called "Taste Test," a blindfolded Conza is asked to taste a Blimpie sandwich and that of a competitor. After a bite of the Blimpie sub, he steadfastly refuses to try the other.

While other chief executives are usually the stars of company commercials, Conza is intended to play second fiddle to the sandwich, Rowland said.

"Tony is not a traditional spokesperson but a foil to convey the quality story about the sandwich," he commented. "We are not using Tony as CEO as spokesperson but in a more endearing way. The name Blimpie is not too solemn, and he puts the sandwich on much more solemn footing."

That is particularly important as Blimpie continues to grow its number of nontraditional venues, Rowland said. "It's a promise of what Blimpie offers rather than the store."

Blimpie is currently in partnerships with Delta Airlines, Circle K convenience stores and Texaco, among others.

Both the TV and radio commercials will begin airing this month in select markets, including New York, Phoenix, Denver and Atlanta. The spots will be supported by in-store posters and point-of-sale pieces emphasizing Blimpie's straightforward products and fresh meats, salads and dairy products.

The campaign will cost franchise associations more than $5 million in 1995, according to Kirshenbaum officials.

So far franchisee reaction to the campaign has been favorable, said Conza, who along with other Blimpie officials has been visiting markets to introduce it.

"The franchisees are really, really liking it, which to me is a good indication," Conza said.

He added, "We feel this is going to be the campaign that lasts a very long time."

The company's net income was nearly $1.4 million in 1994, up 32 percent from the year-earlier figure, on revenue increases of 37 percent, to more than $16 million.

Blimpie trades on NASDAQ under the symbol BMPE.