Subway’s High School Heroes

We all love our favorite superheroes: Superman, Spiderman, Captain America, etc.  But have you come across Subway’s High School Heroes? They may not soar among the clouds in a red cape or swing around the city of Manhattan with a web, but they are the everyday heroes in the US high school community who have made a difference and inspired the lives of the people around them.

In a competition spanning 8 weeks, engagement with the participants started with a Hero nomination. Anyone on Facebook could nominate a friend or teacher they thought was inspirational in their high school community. Users uploaded and shared videos, comments, and voted for their favorite heroes. In the end, the Facebook community made the final decision on the country’s best and most inspiring heroes, and finalists were selected based on the number of votes they received. The grand prize was $10,000 and an Apple iPad.

Social engagement is playing an increasingly important role in how users consume content. High School Heroes uniquely leverages this, creating an authentic point of connection for its audience, and helps drive long-term affinity by creating an engaging social platform that celebrates real-life, everyday heroes.

Nowadays, everyone is jumping onto the social bandwagon. Burger King tries to be too unique with it’s “Whopper Sacrifice” Facebook campaign, asking users to delete 10 Facebook friends to get a burger free, one that failed terribly. Macdonald’s US dangles a million dollar prize with Monopoly Macdonald’s. Macdonald’s UK fares better with “The Flavourhood” on Facebook, where fans can like and become fans of their fries, Big Mac, or other food items. But really, where is the soul in all of these campaigns?  Subway has certainly struck a chord with the community in High School Heroes, and may have hit the nail on its head with this one.

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