Gah! Wouldn’t you know it: Despite having his ill-conceived TV show mercifully cancelled, the cynically-calculated Baby Bob character has been resurrected to do ads for Quiznos.

Quiznos, of course, last made advertising news with with its pot-stirring spongmonkeys TV/print/Web spots. Apparently, those generated too much of the wrong kind of heat for the sandwich chain. So they’re taking a stab at the aw-shucks baby cuteness that Baby Bob seemingly offers:

For the “Baby Bob” campaign, Quiznos hired Los Angeles-based Siltanen & Partners. Hall cited “creative differences” as motivating Quiznos’ split with the Martin Agency of Richmond, Va., which was behind the spongmonkey campaign.

“It’s really a creative lottery,” said Tom Duncan, director of the Integrated Marketing Communication graduate program at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business. “Everybody wants the next Marlboro Man or (Budweiser) frogs, but there just aren’t that many out there.”

Duncan hadn’t seen the new Quiznos campaign but said it could work if the company can make it relevant to its food.

“There’s always potential if they can develop an icon that is funny and entertaining and warm,” he said.

I have little doubt that this campaign will flop, just as every other one Quiznos has embarked upon has. The company simply doesn’t know how to market itself. It’s bounced around with three or four ad agencies over the past couple of years, and keeps breaking off with them. I think it’s a clear sign that Quiznos management isn’t smart enough to listen to the people who know what will sell and build long-term brand awareness.

For me, the aim of the marketing is moot. There isn’t a Quiznos franchise anywhere close to my usual daily haunts, and I’m certainly not going out of my way to find one. If anything, the Baby Bob usage discourages me from doing so. Let’s hope their next campaign is at least a little bit entertaining.