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Firehouse Subs, a 1,500-unit chain, is pursuing share from larger sandwich rivals by leaning into what makes it different rather than trying to outspend them. Carolina Berti, the brand’s chief marketing officer, frames the approach around three moves: hiring a new agency, rolling out a nationwide sports partnership unlike previous efforts, and changing how the chain reaches younger consumers. Together those moves are meant to make Firehouse’s positioning clearer at scale while avoiding an arms race on media dollars with Subway and Jersey Mike’s.
Key takeaways
- Scale: Firehouse Subs operates roughly 1,500 units and is using that footprint as the platform for national marketing moves.
- Leadership: Carolina Berti is the company executive driving the strategy and described the brand’s new direction publicly.
- Creative change: The brand has appointed a new agency to rework messaging and creative delivery across channels.
- Partnership: Firehouse has announced a national sports partnership described as first-of-its-kind for the chain.
Table of contents
A three-part playbook for taking share
Firehouse Subs is prioritising distinctiveness over matching competitors’ ad spend. The company’s marketing architecture now rests on three linked levers: an agency reset to sharpen creative, a national sports partnership to lift reach, and a youth-focused media approach to change brand perception among younger diners.
Carolina Berti frames the new setup as a way to make existing strengths more visible at scale. Rather than buy more impressions, the brand is aligning creative and distribution so a single message lands across its roughly 1,500-unit footprint and larger national moments.
Using a sports tie-up to shortcut awareness
The national sports partnership aims to convert episodic visibility into ongoing consideration. Firehouse positions the deal as a way to place the brand inside cultural moments that younger audiences follow, rather than rely solely on traditional local sandwich advertising.
Because the chain cannot match the media budgets of Subway or Jersey Mike’s, the partnership is meant to amplify reach efficiently: a single, high-profile partner can deliver sustained impressions across market clusters where the brand already has stores.
Reframing the approach to younger consumers
Firehouse is changing how it talks to younger diners by shifting channels and creative tone rather than increasing total spend. The goal is to meet that audience where it already consumes culture and sport and to experiment with formats and activations that feel native to those spaces.
The new agency role is to reshape messaging for those channels while keeping the brand’s core proposition intact, so stores and campaigns reinforce each other rather than create mixed signals in market.
| Brand | Scale | Primary tactic mentioned |
|---|---|---|
| Firehouse Subs | 1,500-unit chain | New agency, national sports partnership, youth-focused reach |
| Subway | named competitor | Incumbent national spend and scale |
| Jersey Mike’s | named competitor | Regional growth and national expansion |
How the strategy could play out
The case for
- Sharper creative plus a high-profile sports partner could lift brand salience faster than incremental local spend.
- A focused youth strategy may re-energise trial among demographics that now favour fast-casual alternatives.
The case against
- If the partnership and creative fail to connect with younger diners, the campaign risks yielding reach without improved consideration.
- A misaligned agency relationship could slow execution and dilute messaging at the store level.
What to be careful about
- Failure to translate national partnership visibility into local store visits in markets where Firehouse has fewer units.
- Creative that appeals in broadcast moments but does not drive conversion at the point of sale.
- Resource mismatch if the national activation requires more operational support than franchisees can supply.
The bottom line
Firehouse Subs’ approach is a playbook for mid‑scale brands that cannot outspend national incumbents: sharpen creative with a new agency, buy cultural relevance through a national sports partnership, and rework channel choices to reach younger diners. The move trades a spending arms race for a coordinated set of levers intended to make distinct brand assets more visible and more resonant. Execution risks remain—especially turning national attention into local visits—but the plan offers a clear alternative to escalating media budgets.
What to watch
- watch for the first consumer-facing activations tied to the national sports partnership; no date has been set.
- watch for the new agency’s first national creative rollout across digital and broadcast channels; no date has been set.
Frequently asked questions
Who is leading Firehouse Subs’ marketing shift?
Carolina Berti, the chain’s chief marketing officer, is responsible for the strategy that pairs a new agency, a national sports partnership and a youth-focused media approach.
How large is Firehouse Subs’ footprint?
Firehouse Subs operates about 1,500 units, which the brand intends to leverage as it scales national creative and partnership activations.
What is the role of the national sports partnership?
The partnership is designed to deliver broad, culturally relevant reach that accelerates awareness among younger audiences without simply matching competitors’ media spend.
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