“Five dollar…five dollar footlooooonggg!” Who comes up with this stuff?

So goes the jingle for the Subway $5 footlong campaign whose success has the sandwich chain within striking distance of McDonald’s, and is all the more surprising considering that the idea started not at headquarters or in an ad-agency, but was the brainchild of a guy who only owned two Subways trying to boost sagging weekend sales.

It’s a cool story that shows how entrepreneurs can break through even in a tough economy by creatively offering customers a little more value.

The Accidental Hero [Business Week] (Photo: NickNguyen)

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