five...five dollar...

Subway's "Five Dollar Footlong" commercial successfully employs a variety of literary devices in making its message short and simple yet memorable. The use of repetition, tone, and alliteration adds to the commercial's "staying power" and helped make it popular among viewers.

The commercial's main theme is to convince viewers that the footlong subs at Subway are a great deal as they only cost $5. To irrevocably etch this price into the minds of television viewers, staged repetition of the phrase "Five Dollar Footlong" is employed. The progression "Five...Five Dollar...Five Dollar Footlong" builds anticipation in viewers as they know what's coming next. The hand motions that go along with the chant add to the entertaining aspect of the commercial, making viewers not just want to sing along, but dance along. They are persuaded into believing that the ability to get so much food for such a small amount of money is a very good thing, even if they do not actually need or want that much food.

The commercial is fun to watch and due to its catchy jingle with hand motions, people have begun imitating it for fun. People associate the happy tone of the commercial with the food it advertises, creating an emotional link between consumers and the company's products. People feel urged to buy the subs because they associate them with good feelings and the popularity of the commercial which features them, thinking, "It's a good idea to buy one of those subs, everyone knows the song and everyone must be buying them!" The appeal of this commercial is especially strong with children, who are impressionable and among advertising's most susceptible target audiences. The images that accompany the commercial are also fun and appealing, contributing further to this effect.

The words of the jingle are simple and repetitive--because they are easy to repeat. The chant-like tune of the words is catchy, making the jingle somewhat of an element of pop culture. People find themselves with the song stuck in their heads, singing along and eventually finding that they, too want a footlong from Subway because it has been burned into their memories. Alliteration in the line "Five Dollar Footlong" adds to the easy catchiness of the jingle.

This commercial hits a home run as it pairs an unforgettable slogan with good food. The combination of these two popular elements seems to make the subs themselves even more popular, which was surely the end objective of the masterminds behind the commercial. By making a great amount of food available for a comparably small amount of money, advertisers for Subway appeal first to people's desire to save money and then to the desire to eat well. When these two desires are satisfied by one product, the company will achieve success. When that one product is paired with popular advertising, the success increases even further.