MILFORD, Conn. – Subway has been hawking its popular $5 Footlong subs for a long time — and the secret to its success isn’t what you think, the Wall Street Journal reports. Tony Pace, the chain’s marketing chief, shared with the newspaper why social media is so unpredictable and why television commercials still work for the sandwich restaurant.

“Everybody talks price, but marketing value is just as important. When we launched $5 Footlongs, I had a lot of colleagues with experience in the category tell me it would never work, because the price was too high. Obviously, they were wrong, because we have sold billions of them at this point,” said Pace.

A few years ago, a social media controversy erupted when users began posting photographs of Subway Footlong sandwiches that weren’t 12 inches long. “We kept focusing on the things we do and we told people we were redoubling our efforts in that area, and that is what we did. You always want to make sure you are delivering on your brand promise to consumers,” he said.

According to Pace, advertising will continue to be a major part of restaurant’s marketing. “We’ve had wonderful success with the $5 Footlong. It was originally envisioned as a four-week promotion, and it turned into a multibillion-dollar brand. That wouldn't have happened without the artfulness of creativity. … “TV has proved its effectiveness. In our business you can see results pretty quickly with television. We have seen some good results with digital, too, but being able deliver a message that can move people emotionally is critical.”