While other restaurants and chains have inked deals with third-party services to deliver their products, Jimmy John’s is committed to keeping their deliveries in-house. Priding itself on being “freaky fast,” Jimmy John’s isn’t willing to rely on services that can take up to 45 minutes to get to customers. The company’s new ad campaign, “Own the Zone,” highlights the chain’s sandwich delivery zones, which have a radius of five minutes from each location, ensuring deliveries can be made quickly and arrive with the “freaky fresh” taste patrons love.
“Mapping our incredibly tight delivery zones means some people fall outside, but it also means a better sandwich for those we serve,” said John Shea, Chief Marketing Officer.
The strict delivery zone is to ensure customers always get a quality sandwich, even though the short distances can cause frustration. The new ads feature drivers hitting the edge of the zones in comical ways, including running into an invisible wall and a red line being drawn. Even the ad agency, WorkInProgress, who created the campaign can’t get Jimmy John’s to budge on their radius.
“Jimmy John’s would rather limit the size of its delivery zones than deliver a subpar sandwich. They have a fanatical commitment to freshness,” WorkInProgress creative partner Matt Talbot said. “Our agency is one block outside of a delivery zone and they won’t make an exception, even for us.”
Jimmy John’s delivery service is one of the distinct aspects of the company and has been a staple since its founding by Jimmy John Liautaud in 1983. Liautaud began his now national franchise in a converted garage in Charleston, Illinois with four sandwiches on the menu and selling Cokes with no ice for 25 cents. Business was slow at first and Jimmy began taking samples of his sandwiches to the nearby dorms at Eastern Illinois University and offering delivery services to increase his customer base. Within three years, he was able to pay back the $25,000 loan his dad gave him to start the business and has continued growing the company ever since. Jimmy John’s now has over 2,800 locations across the United States.
