In the Community episode entitled “Digital Exploration of Interior Design,” Subway seeks to set up a shop within the Greendale Community College cafeteria in direct competition with Shirley and Pierce’s sandwich station; however, in order for the Subway stand to open, a Greendale student must have controlling ownership. So through corporate humanization, a new student named “Subway” enrolls at the school as a human embodiment of the corporation and creates a mass advertising platform for Subway, incorporating the restaurant into all aspects of the college. Through “Subway’s” interactions with the characters, the viewer learns about all of the restaurant’s offerings and benefits.
Commercial breaks are typically the least favorite part of watching a television show; however, Community and Subway sought to incorporate the content of a commercial into the actual show to make the consumer-directed information friendlier to viewers. Even though this episode was essentially a half-hour long advertisement for Subway, it was received well because it presented advertising in a fun and light-hearted context. By fully integrating its sponsor into the story line of the show and writing the script around the benefits of Subway products, Community not only helped to increase sales for Subway but also created a hilarious episode that stands out as one of the most successful in its six seasons.
If done incorrectly, product placement can be fairly awkward; however, Community successfully takes it to an extreme. Even though Subway’s product placement in Community is more blatant than the traditional sort, it is smoother and more effective than the typical in-show advertising schemes to which viewers are usually exposed. Even though there is a large amount of Subway advertising present in this one episode, it is not perceived as overwhelming because the sheer volume is what makes the episode so comical. Because the writers make it extremely clear that the promotion of Subway is the primary focus of the episode, the product placement never seems out of place; it is almost welcomed by the viewers.
Video clips demonstrating Subway’s product placement:
Video of Community’s producer, Dan Harmon, discussing Subway’s sponsorship of the show and the incorporation of product placement:
* Please click here to learn about Honda’s product placement in Community.