Are Fat Women "Meat"? Here's an Ad That Quiznos Ought to Reject

Quiznos has occasionally offended and repulsed with its past TV advertising, but even the chain that did "2 girls 1 sub" ought to reject this speculative ad made by independent commercial director Jeffrey McCarthy. The commercial, which is not sanctioned by Quiznos, compares fat women to meat.

Teenage boys are the market demographic that really drives fast-food restaurant sales, which is why much of the advertising for burger chains is so juvenile: Quiznos' recent efforts have also included a homoerotic toaster oven asking a staffer to "put it in me" and a video which references one of the most disgusting porn movies ever made.

So it should worry brand managers at Quiznos that commercial producers regard making an offensive Quiznos ad as a way to catch the company's attention or draw in new business. From Quiznos' point of view, there are so many reasons its lawyers ought to demand this ad be taken down it's hard to know where to start. Here's a few:

There's nothing wrong with being outrageous per se -- the gay toaster ad is a good example of that -- but in the long-term Quiznos does not want its brand to become best known for its attention-seeking outrages rather than its toasted sandwiches.
When you're a fast-food joint, linking your product to obesity is not wise.
When 6 in 10 U.S. adults are overweight, you risk offending a significant portion of your own customers.
It's sexist: Women aren't meat. Or sandwiches.
There's just something mean about this ad.

McCarthy told BNET the ad has been on YouTube about a week, and although he knew there was a possibility he'd be asked to take it down Quiznos has not yet called. I suspect that call is imminent.

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