Jon Stewart was never at a loss for Arby’s taglines on “The Daily Show.”
“Arby’s: Come for the tweets, run from the meats.”
“Arby’s: You think pain & grief are hard to digest.”
“Arby’s: The meal that’s a dare for your colon.”
“Arby’s: The Hannity of roast beef sandwiches.”
“Arby’s: Proof Jon Stewart cannot destroy a brand by telling people what’s in it.”
Arby’s, long the butt of Jon Stewart’s jokes on “The Daily Show,” went for the last laugh as Stewart's reign came to a close.
The Atlanta-based fast-food chain bought ads on Wednesday night’s next-to-last show with Stewart as host of the Comedy Central hit. And on Thursday's finale, Arby's top exec Paul Brown kicked off a tongue-in-cheek video montage of "well-wishers" with a tagline that turned the tables: “I’m Paul Brown, CEO of Arby’s, brought to you tonight by Jon Stewart: It’s like your TV threw up on your face."
The Wednesday night spots featured a wrap-up of many of the barbs Stewart and his writers directed at the roast beef king, including: “Arby’s: It’s like shock and awe for your bowels,” “Arby’s: Isn’t there anywhere else we can eat;” and “Arby’s: Why not challenge your stomach to a fight.”
The Arby’s ad used “Thank You for Being A Friend” as its theme song and concluded: “I’m not sure why, but we’ll miss you.”
The reasons for Stewart’s fixation on Arby’s were never quite clear, and some even wondered if it was a clever product placement campaign. The company says it wasn’t. But it chose to welcome the visibility and chatter.
“We’re actually going to miss Jon’s mentions of Arby’s,” the company said in a statement. “It goes to show, though, that if you keep your sense of humor, you can turn what could have been a negative situation into something positive and fun for the brand.”
When Stewart announced his plan to leave, Arby’s tweeted, “Jon, feel free to reach out to us at careers@arbys.com.” To which the show responded with another barb: “Arby’s, come for the tweets, run from the meats.”
As Stewart's finale approached, the company introduced the “Daily Deli” sandwich, a double corned beef, mustard on marble rye, in Stewart’s honor. It’s not on the menu but can be had by those in the know who ask for it.
“We’re happy to serve Jon one at his nearest Arby’s whenever he’s ready,” the company said.
Arby’s real last laugh may come from the bottom line. It says same-store sales rose 9.6 percent in the first quarter and 7.6 percent in the second.
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