Crave, culture and craft

Subway

Hospitality

Influencer Engagement

Media Relations

Public Relations

Strategy

Serving fresh ideas and feel-good campaigns

In 2025 Subway set out to evolve its perception beyond a convenient and well-loved brand to one that felt personal, created crave-worthy products and was culturally relevant every day of the year. 

To help drive this shift Subway engaged Aruga to once again lead their always on PR activity spanning strategy, media relations, influencer engagement and paid partnerships.  

Together we transformed a calendar of launches into a year-long creative platform that consistently kept Subway front-of-mind. 

Across 12 months, we delivered 11 campaigns that felt timely, shareable and unmistakably Subway, turning announcements into stories people genuinely wanted to watch, share and talk about.  

Key highlights include Subway’s April Fools’ Day Chip Butty on the Today show, coverage down the east coast following the tour of the SubBus, the return of Subway’s Anzac Biscuit that raised more than $100,000 for Returned & Services League of Australia, and a mammoth celebration of Subway’s global 60th anniversary. 

Together, this saw us achieve a 415% increase in editorial coverage, a 262% uplift in influencer content views and a 138% increase in influencer watch time year-on-year. 

Beyond the numbers, we built a stronger, more human brand presence that drove craving, reinforced loyalty and proved that with the right storytelling, even everyday food choices can feel exciting. 

Results

515+

editorial clippings

12.5M+

potential audience reach

175

influencer clips

22.5M+

influencer content impressions

7.1K+

hours of influencer content viewed (296 days)

100%

positive TOV in Aruga-earned content

4

paid media partnerships

Deliverables

Strategy Development

Creating the ideas, angles and creative platforms that transformed a calendar of launches into a year-long, crave-worthy storytelling program.

Media Relations

Pitching timely, news-worthy stories to national and lifestyle media, securing consistent coverage that kept Subway culturally relevant and front-of-mind.

Influencer Engagement

Partnering with creators to produce authentic, high-impact content that drove craving, watch time and engagement with priority audiences.

Winning Tactics

Thumbs Up

Aruga led with strategy, not schedules, developing campaign ideas and story angles from a calendar of launches to ensure each had a clear role, audience and outcome. This integrated approach included traditional earned PR, influencer engagement, and partnerships with leading publishers and podcasters to ensure the right person, heard the right message, at the right time. 

Peace Sign

Aruga treated PR and influencer activity as one ecosystem, using creators to extend earned editorial, driving cultural relevance beyond traditional coverage alone. 

Ok

Aruga applied an always-on approach, prioritising consistency, freshness and repetition to build craving over time, proving that sustained presence is what keeps food brands front-of-mind. 

Campaign Highlights

Coral background with image of iPhone in centre. iPhone screen shows influencer All For Mimi holding bright green Subway cookie tin. Crafting crave and culture for Subway.
All For Mimi shared their National Cookie Day gifting and unboxing on TikTok, calling it their favourite PR yet.
Pink background with image of laptop in centre. Laptop screen shows website article from Buzzfeed Australia showcasing Subway's Fanversary campaign. Crafting crave and culture for Subway.
BuzzFeed shared news of Subway’s Fanversary competition, spotlighting Australia’s biggest Subway superfans.
Pink background with image of laptop in centre. Laptop screen shows website article from Buzzfeed Australia showcasing Subway's Fanversary campaign. Crafting crave and culture for Subway.
Today Show covered Subway’s April Fool’s Day ‘Chip Butty’ campaign, sparking national conversation.
Yellow background with image of laptop in centre. Laptop screen shows website article from The Courier-Mail showcasing Subway's Anzac Day Cookie campaign. Crafting crave and culture for Subway.
The Courier-Mail highlighted the return of Subway’s ANZAC biscuit with a nationally syndicated story.
Hot pink background with image of laptop in centre. Laptop screen shows Bloke in a Bar YouTube episode. Crafting crave and culture for Subway.
Bloke In a Bar integrated Subway’s SubDog into their NRL Finals coverage, positioning it as the perfect footy feed.