A tweet sharing a company’s commercial went viral Thursday and we can absolutely promise you’re going to be shocked by who is behind it.
Shared by Ryan Simmons, the rather lengthy commercial is a beautifully shot cinematic journey of one young man’s life.
“I will give you one hundred thousand dollars if you can guess the brand by the end,” wrote Simmons.
got another capitalism greatest hit. i will give you one hundred thousand dollars if you can guess the brand by the end
Let’s recap.
This commercial — nay, film — is full of firsts, starting from birth.
You’ve got the kid’s first glances of the world.
First birthday.
First shadow puppets.
First mindful pee.
First...spooky horses in the night (????).
First spying on your mother changing (????!!!!!).
First shave.
First kiss.
First heartbreak.
First tribute to Britney Spears circa 2007.
First trip to a foreign land as indicated by these hats.
Look how reflective he is. So reflective.
Before you know it, our little man is all grown up and moving out. Which means it’s time for the big reveal. The big choice. The big first. The payoff of this whole journey.
What’s he going to order at Subway?
I know. I know.
The entire thing was a Subway ad.
What? How? Why? Why?
Your main question, after the above, is probably “Is this real?”
Sometimes “spec” ads find their way to the internet. These are sample ads created by agencies to pitch to brands, hoping that they’ll bite. They may never actually make it into the real world.
However, I’m very pleased to tell you this Subway ad IS VERY REAL.
A shortened version of it ran in Brazil in 2016. The final cut is more sandwich-heavy, but the soul of the original is still there.
A Subway spokesperson confirmed its authenticity to BuzzFeed News.
“This video was created with our team in Brazil in 2016,” Subway said. “We’re excited for the storytelling and creativity that takes place around the world, from this story in Brazil to dedicated Franchisees in the United States and our culinary innovation taking place globally.”
But just because it’s real doesn’t mean it’s not completely WTF-worthy.
Consider, for example, Subway’s usual brand voice.
Summer lovin’…had me at Subway! 🎶☀️ #FirstDayofSummer
Twitter is still recovering from this Terrence Malick–inspired ad for a sandwich.
@rysimmons
@rysimmons when i choose the italian herb and cheese bread
@rysimmons Like, is the sandwich artist the girl he kissed in the lake? Or was all the angst and Britney head-shaving just leading him to his one true sandwich, the pinnacle of his adolescence?
@rysimmons "what are you going to try today" as if i haven't been getting the exact same order at subway for the last 29 years with only two small tweaks during that time
You can watch the full original ad pitched to Subway on producer Marco Martins’ Vimeo channel.