For almost two decades, Sonic Drive-In's advertising was synonymous with the "Two Guys" who bantered in a car about the the chain’s food and drink offerings. Now, after campaigns that shifted focus from improv comics to real families and craveable food, the QSR marketer is back with a brand platform and campaign that personifies menu innovation through a new dynamic duo.

The “Live Free Eat Sonic” brand platform, debuting today (June 3) is centered around a fantastical Department of Research and Deliciousment that is led by a slick chief ingenuity officer and his pink-haired partner, Tia Saborita. A 60-second launch ad begins with a family's visit to a “Nothing Burger” fast-food joint interrupted by the CIO, who bursts in to exclaim, “Come with me if you want to live … a more delicious life.”

During a ride in a retro van — outfitted with a bobblehead of the iconic Two Guys characters — the CIO jokes about male-pattern baldness and wedgies before pulling up to the futuristic building of Sonic's fictional R&D office, which resembles something out of “Men in Black” or a Pixar film and is outfitted with outsized nods to the brand's menu items, like an ice cave and a Tot-a-Pult launcher.

“Live Free Eat Sonic” was developed with creative agency of record Mother Los Angeles and elements will run on linear TV, over-the-top, digital, social and radio. The brand on June 17 will also debut a new online lifestyle portal at LiveFreeShopSonic.com that features exclusive merchandise and experiences, with 100% of proceeds donated to support public education through the Sonic Foundation.

Telling a broader story

For Sonic, “Live Free Eat Sonic” allows the chain to creatively tell a broader story that extends into every part of the brand, but in a space that is less physically constrained than the car interiors and parking lots of previous campaigns, explained Ryan Dickerson, who transitioned to Sonic's CMO in January after more than five years at parent company Inspire Brands.

“When you look at advertising today … it can start to look a little bit like a sea of sameness. You look at some of these food-forward shoots — and we’re the same way — you're talking about food, you've got six seconds, maybe 15, tops 30, to talk about a product,” Dickerson said. 

“Consumers certainly want to see what kind of deals and values are out there … but people love a story,” the executive continued. “You can continue to run spots that are all food that will perform well, but people are looking for a broader reason to be interested in, to care about and feel associated with the brand, whether they know it or not.”

The effort comes at a time when consumers are beset with angst and anxiety amid inflationary pressures, election year stress and a general decline of happiness. Sonic hopes to provide moments of indulgence that break up the mundanity and monotony of daily routines shared by consumers whether they work from home or have returned to office. The fun campaign also looks to tap into brand equity around menu innovation while breaking through a crowded category.

“It’s supposed to be fun, because at the end of the day, it's shakes, it’s tots, it’s groovy fries, it’s groovy sauce, it’s burgers,” Dickerson said. “We want to make sure that we remind people that while all these other parts of the world might be chaotic, there's a crazy, fun place to go where you could get something for everybody.”

The portfolio play

Sonic has been a part of Inspire Brands since 2018, the same year the company was formed after the merger of Arby's and Buffalo Wild Wings. Inspire has since added Jimmy John’s and Dunkin’ to the portfolio, but Sonic stands alone as a restaurant not constrained by day part, product or protein options.

“We can play in just about every space that you would expect a QSR to play in,” Dickerson said. “We are a place that is generally not polarizing or divisive … we have something for everybody and [the platform is] one of these opportunities for us to talk about the diversity we have on the menu.”

Sonic’s new platform and campaign are part of a full brand relaunch that also spans packaging, uniforms, color palette and a food and beverage overhaul — a holistic effort that represents a first for Inspire after rebrands or reward platform changes undertaken by sister brands. Launching everything simultaneously adds a layer of complexity but also allows for more creativity, Dickerson said.

Being part of the Inspire portfolio opens channels to sister brands and allows for executives to share and compare notes on everything from creative approaches to ad units. It also allows a brand like Sonic to utilize Inspire's demand generation team for media optimization and in-flight adjustments.

“In a world where everybody's trying to compete for sales and transactions, you've got to continue to message the food and the LTOs, but at the same time, you need to carve out a spot for that brand equity piece,” Dickerson explained. “That’s something that our team is getting back in the habit of.”