Quiznos’ Dead Mouse Commercial

Ugh, you know the one I’m talking about.  “We love the SUUUUBBBS!” sung by Mexican dead mice being digitally manipulated.  Well, I knew there was something creepily familiar about it, but I couldn’t place it.  And then a friend emailed me the Kitten Viking Song video (which I had already seen), but there it was, on Rather Good:  The original dead mouse song.  I’m still boggled as to how their marketing company saw that and decided “Hey!  Let’s use this to advertise FOOD!”

Commenting disabled on this entry

Posted Wednesday February 25, 2004 in Humor by Derek Jones

This is an older entry and as such, it may be by a guest author or contain formatting problems / extraneous code. If you notice something wrong with the entry, please use the Contact page to let me know the entry title and issue.

Comments

I continue to refuse to go watch that horrid “We Love the Moon” song.  Several people at work keep “singing” (if you can call it that) the song and it drives me nuts.  They played it for my manager in the office next to mine and they had the volume cranked up so loud that I heard it perfectly fine (in fact, it was loud).  I promptly mashed my hands down over my ears in an attempt to save my sanity.  I don’t know that it worked.

I’m totally with you on being stupified about what kind of a moron would think using it for a commercial was a good idea.

By Chris Curtis on February 25, 2004 at 10:51am link

bah.. They’re not mice.
He’s used parts from a few different animals in his stuff.

Also, since you seem to have taken interest in it, you should check http://www.b3ta.com to see the site that spawned all of this creativity. It’s becoming a one stop shop for viral memes as well as companies such as MTV and Quiznos to find new talent.

By Kcaz on February 25, 2004 at 02:25pm link

I don’t care how many parts he Frankensteined together to make the dead Mexican mice.  It’s still retarded, and a horrible idea for advertising.

The marketing people are starting to get a philosophy that if it’s on the internet, then it must be cool.  Wrong.  That’s just as stupid as what happened when people thought that the internet economy was somehow magical and different from regular commerce.  An amateur doing it and putting it online doesn’t make it good.  The only thing the internet does is make it accessible.  Which is not always a good thing.

By Derek Jones on February 25, 2004 at 02:55pm link

Here’s a Slate article about the Quizno ads.

Yeah, I give it an “F”.  Actually, an “F-”, if that’s allowed.

By Chris Curtis on February 26, 2004 at 02:20pm link

Good article and amen.  Though I completely disagree with their take on the old ads.  The “what were you raised by wolves?” commercials were fabulous.

By Derek Jones on February 26, 2004 at 06:48pm link

It works. We’re talking about it. Sure it’s stupid, but it works, and it’s catchy as hell.
This is not a talking singing brillo pad or roll of toilet paper, or “Snuggles” the fabric softener bear, but for a short term, low budget attention getter...it works. We’re singing it at the work!

By Michael Ferbrache on March 1, 2004 at 03:46am link

Yes it got attention.  But whereas their previous commercials made me stop at their restaurant, this one makes me conciously avoid it, as I see their sign and have an instant association with rotting dead mice making my sandwich.

Saying that all exposure is good is silly.  Exxon got some brand awareness about twenty years ago for a spill in Alaska.  What a great marketing ploy!

By Derek Jones on March 1, 2004 at 07:49am link

i think its funny....what can i say?

By Greg Ferrell on March 2, 2004 at 12:26am link

All I can say is, I work at a Quiznos, and since those horrid little rodents with their deformed, “I just ate rat poison” appearance, our sales have DECREASED .... SIGNIFICANTLY!!!!

Yeah… way to go Quiznos! Take 3% of gross sales for a national advertising fee and chase EVERY SINGLE CUSTOMER out of the door.

We love the sub.

By Phillip Swindall on March 9, 2004 at 05:51am link

Spongmonkeys, ingrates.

Do your homework.

By Zoe on September 26, 2004 at 10:14pm link

I certainly don’t see how we’re ingrateful for something that is so terribly unfunny.  Perhaps you meant idiots?  Do your own homework, you know, the vocabulary test?

By Derek Jones on September 26, 2004 at 11:15pm link

I did not now that mice shared an ethnicity with the Mexican people.

By Aztlan on September 27, 2004 at 05:28am link

Was that meant to be racist, or sarcastic?

Did they also get the viking cats for thier comercial? or was that soemone else?

I love the viking cats.

By Greg Ferrell on September 27, 2004 at 07:14am link

I did not now that mice shared an ethnicity with the Mexican people.

Mice from France: French Mice
Mice from Japan: Japanese Mice
Mice from Mexico: Mexican Mice

I’m not the dolt that gave them that accent.

By Derek Jones on September 27, 2004 at 08:49am link