dentsu

media , creative

In the 90s, Happy Gilmore gave fans a reason to laugh, cheer—and crave Subway. Nearly 30 years later, he’s back, and this time, he’s bringing even more happy. To celebrate the launch of Happy Gilmore 2 on Netflix, dentsu supported Subway to tap into a moment decades in the making. The result? A campaign built for superfans, driven by flavor, and powered by the dentsu network. 

Nostalgia with a twist 

The creative engine of the campaign centered around giving fans more happy, starting with the limited-time Happy Gilmore Meal. The face of the campaign? None other than Shooter McGavin, Happy’s not-so-happy rival, who returned to star in a new hero spot alongside pro golfer Bryson DeChambeau. The spot leaned into pop culture with self-aware charm, showing that even after all these years, Shooter still can’t stand the idea of "more happy." 

A Unified Approach  

While the creative brought the laughs, the collaboration made them land, with Dentsu Creative, Carat, Merkle, and dentsu Entertainment working together from strategy to launch.  

  • Dentsu Entertainment negotiated the brand integration with Netflix and Happy Madison, ensuring Subway was embedded in one of the most anticipated comedies of the summer. 
  • Carat expanded the campaign’s reach with a high-impact media strategy that spanned YouTube Greenlight, Pubity, Overtime, and more. 
  • Merkle brought fans deeper into the experience with SubwaysHappyPlace.com, a gamified digital hub where users could win over $1 million in prizes, grab exclusive merch, ‘big ass checks’ and join the action online. 
  • Dentsu Creative brought it all together with a suite of assets including TV spots, paid social, limited-edition packaging, and influencer content that hit every channel. 

A cultural moment, fully integrated 

From film integration to flavor-packed fan offers, every piece of the campaign worked toward a shared goal: turning a 90s throwback into a modern, full-funnel brand experience. In just 2 weeks of launch Subway sales were back in the black. Paid and organic social content garnered over 250M Impressions leading up to the launch, and the biggest opening weekend in Netflix’s history brought in over 50M impressions – and rising.  While results are still preliminary, when you add in same-day merch sellouts, over 105k unique users to play the alligator slapshot game, 29k+ instant win prizes awarded and over 56k email sign-up, it’s clear that this promo is a hole in one. 

"Alongside a generation of fans, Subway can't wait to see our old friend Happy Gilmore recapture the magic that made him such an enduring cultural icon in Happy Gilmore 2," said Cristina Wells, Senior Vice President of U.S. Marketing at Subway. "We're excited to partner with Netflix and give fans more of what makes them happy – more ways to enjoy their favorite subs and more ways to engage with a world that we cherish as much as they do – with a one-of-a-kind, connected experience exclusively at Subway." 

Subway and dentsu proved that some icons never go out of style — and that a good laugh (and a great sandwich) can still bring people together.