Aside from political attack ads and class-action medical litigator ads, advertisers generally play nice these days. And even when one brand does decide to take a swipe at a competitor, it's usually just veiled and suggestive. That's why a consumer brand attack ad really jumps out and makes me take notice.
It looks like Arby's is tired of Subway throwing its weight (and massive ad budget) around. With their recent move into sliced turkey, they've apparently decided to call out the sandwich behemoth over where (and when) their meat is sliced.
This new ad uses media personality (and former New York City Police Detective) Bo Dietl to uncover the truth about where Subway's sandwich meat is sliced. Sure, they [slightly] blur the Subway logo, and don't mention the brand by name, but they do call them out directly in the caption over the video of the slicing facility.
Now, I've been a fan of Arby's roast beef for a long time, and I'll buy in to the idea that slicing it right when I order it makes for a better product, but I'm not sure if this type of ad is a good move. Does anybody win if food brands start slinging mud (or "pink slime") at each other? Or will we all just start eating at home more?