To help get everyone into the holiday spirit, Subway created an advent calendar full of exclusive treats and offers for its Rewards members available only through the Subway App – Subway App-Vent. 

Subway Christmas Advent Offers

The Subway calendar is not like a typical advent calendar that contains chocolates or other goodies. Instead, this one has 12 exclusive offers for the brand’s Rewards members. These 12 offers include winning prizes, getting free or discounted food, and earning bonus points. To avail the offers, you need to download the Subway App and register a Subway Rewards account.

Subway launched its “App-Vent”, a digital advent calendar with 12 Treats of December first in December 2021.  The advent calendar includes offers and deals with cookies to share, free Subs, and Subway giveaways exclusively via the Subway App.

#SubForASub – Subway Football Offers

Subway offers are not just for Christmas. With the football season, they’re offering a range of offers and discounts. Every time a player is substituted in the matches, Subway will drop a promo code to be redeemed on any order exclusively through the UberEats app, with a hashtag #SubforaSub (Subway for a Substitution). 

Discount codes for up to £10 and between 20-50% off are revealed on the Subway UK & Ireland Twitter. With a minimum spend limit of £10, Subway offers up to 100 redemptions.

For the football season, it also launched a brand-new Sidekicks Bundle for 2. The bundle includes two Cheesy Garlic Slices and a large portion of Crinkle Wedges.

Angelina Gosal, Head of Marketing UK & Ireland at Subway said: “We’re excited to bring our app-exclusive advent calendar back again this year, giving Subway fans a fun way to countdown the festive season and get their hands on some brilliant offers and prizes. What better way to wish Happy Holidays to our new and existing Subway Rewards members!”

The Problem with the Strategy

It is clear that Subway is trying to capitalise on the holiday season with its App-only promotions. However, this strategy doesn’t appear to be as effective as the brand hopes. 

One reason for this is that many people may not be aware of the Subway App or its Rewards program. Therefore, they may not be able to take advantage of the offers available. Additionally, even those who are familiar with the App may not feel compelled to download it just for a few deals.

The approach would have been more successful had they been promoting its App and Rewards program year-round rather than relying on a seasonal campaign. This would give customers more opportunities to take advantage of the deals and rewards available. 

Similarly, the Football Season offers with #SubforaSub hashtags have also not gained much traction. The offers do not appear to be attractive enough to drive customers to the Subway App, even though they are exclusive and have limited redemptions.

Subway’s App-only promotions can be a great way to engage existing users while also driving new downloads and registrations. However, the brand needs to focus more on its ongoing promotions and offers in order to increase awareness and build a loyal customer base. 

Additionally, they need to make sure that their promotions are attractive enough for customers to take advantage of them.  The brand could introduce more enticing offers like discounts on specific products so people would be more motivated to join the Rewards program. 

Overall, while Subway’s App-Vent promotion is a creative way to increase usage of its App during the holiday season, it may not be enough to drive significant app downloads and engagement. The brand needs to continue promoting its App beyond the holidays if they want to see long-term success.