• by Joe Mandese , July 14, 2025

When New York City's Mass Transit Association unveiled its first new subway map in nearly half a century earlier this year, cartographic straphangers may have simply seen the D and the F train lines ending at the Coney Island and Stillwell Avenue stop at the southern tip of Brooklyn, but the team at Omnicom's adam&eveDDB spotted a brand marketing tie-in for fast-food client Nathan's Famous -- a hotdog -- and they put some mustard on it.

Watch the video above, which explains why subway commuters will be seeing mustard on the city's subway maps this week, in celebration of National Hotdog Day on Wednesday.

“This campaign is classic New York: funny, bold, and rooted in something real," explains adam&eveDDB U.S. Chief Creative Officer Brynna Aylward, explaining, "We wanted to tap into the city’s personality and sense of humor, and there’s nothing more iconic than Nathan’s and the NYC subway.” 

“I was admiring the new MTA map design when something near Coney Island caught my eye," adds the agency's Head of Design and Creative Director Mitch Horton, noting, "Wait… is that a hot dog? It was staring me in the face. All it needed was some mustard. $2.90 well spent.”