Subway’s Three Steps to Renew Customer Relevance

Regular readers of this blog know that there are three things Subway must do to garner top-of-mind meal relevance with consumers.  According to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® those three things are edify Subway’s platform with branded convenient meal participation, freshness differentiation, while edifying the platform with individualization.

That said consumers migration from Subway has been due to lack of freshness innovation even more than consumer consternation with price point abandonment.  Once the industry leader with the $ 5 Footlong consumers have move on to Del Taco, Taco Bell, McDonald's, and Wendy’s we all know there is no need to keep going.  Price is an issue for sure but the key driver is a lack of freshness innovation according to Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant ScoreCards. There is a battle for Share of Stomach and Subway is on the sidelines today.

All Subway franchisee including members of NAASF must understand that Subway’s platform for success has deep roots within the franchise organization and its franchise must insist that the core of the brand be renewed with new electricity focused at edifying the brand with menu freshness including new menu items that highlight freshness and flavor.  

Chain restaurants that look more like yesterday than tomorrow are simply stifling top line growth and bottom line profits. Subway we ask just what is your new electricity?  What new meal components, meals, menu items do you have in the pipe line with a branded clear point of differentiation?  

Branded innovation is the platform for the new electricity, according to Johnson; partnerships specifically strategic partnerships are driving retail success today.  Johnson stated that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, grocerant consultants, urban farming (produce, seafood, etc.), family meals, meal components, meal kits, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, cash-less payments, digital hand held marketing.

Retailers the ilk of Subway to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that is portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar but with a twist.  That will require brands the ilk of Subway to embrace new fresh food partnerships more now than ever before according to Johnson.

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday that tomorrow?  Visit www.FoodserviceSolutions.us or reach to Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us