Damn You, Sonic Drive-In
Either the Discovery family of cable channels has some of the most savvy advertising salespeople in the business or Sonic Drive-In's advertising agency has complete dumbasses buying its television commercial time.
Why? Because Sonic-Drive In has been advertising FREQUENTLY on the different channels of the Discovery family, which reach FAR beyond any Sonic location. (I am a documentary/real-life program junkie.)
Sonic Drive-In is one of my favorite burger joints/ice cream joints. It was the first "chain" fast food place that ever arrived in my home county way back in the '80's. I think about it often enough without seeing its commercials on television here in NYC. I once attempted to Yahoo! Sonic in an effort to find one near NYC. There ain't one to be found. The nearest is in Ohio, Virginia or West Virginia. That's a long way from Manhattan (New York, not Kansas). I'm not even going to link to Sonic Drive-In's website because I am so darned perturbed.
It makes little or no sense for a regional chain of any kind to do national advertising. (If you are reading this from Arizona, imagine seeing ads for Duane Reade. Have you ever even heard of it?) The ads are wasted on the the 60 to 75% of the population of this country that doesn't have reasonable access to Sonic restaurants. It would be more cost effective and productive to hire a full-time person to focus advertising buying in the key regional markets where the chain has a presence. For example, there are a dozen or so locations within the television viewing area and radio listening area of Nashville, TN. Buy local ads there! Local advertising costs less and reaches the target market! But now I'm preaching. I'll climb down off this soapbox now.
From now on, every time I see Sonic Drive In advertising its new banana split product on TV, I am going to run directly to McDonald's, without passing "go", without collecting $200, and buy an ice cream sundae while thumbing my nose at Sonic. Except for the Sonic in Scottsville, KY. The owner there always would have a special treat for the winners of the boys who had good seasons in the local boys' baseball leagues, of which I was an 8-year member on some very successful teams. I remember that, and I appreciate it. Thanks, Bill. I'll still give you my business.
Why? Because Sonic-Drive In has been advertising FREQUENTLY on the different channels of the Discovery family, which reach FAR beyond any Sonic location. (I am a documentary/real-life program junkie.)
Sonic Drive-In is one of my favorite burger joints/ice cream joints. It was the first "chain" fast food place that ever arrived in my home county way back in the '80's. I think about it often enough without seeing its commercials on television here in NYC. I once attempted to Yahoo! Sonic in an effort to find one near NYC. There ain't one to be found. The nearest is in Ohio, Virginia or West Virginia. That's a long way from Manhattan (New York, not Kansas). I'm not even going to link to Sonic Drive-In's website because I am so darned perturbed.
It makes little or no sense for a regional chain of any kind to do national advertising. (If you are reading this from Arizona, imagine seeing ads for Duane Reade. Have you ever even heard of it?) The ads are wasted on the the 60 to 75% of the population of this country that doesn't have reasonable access to Sonic restaurants. It would be more cost effective and productive to hire a full-time person to focus advertising buying in the key regional markets where the chain has a presence. For example, there are a dozen or so locations within the television viewing area and radio listening area of Nashville, TN. Buy local ads there! Local advertising costs less and reaches the target market! But now I'm preaching. I'll climb down off this soapbox now.
From now on, every time I see Sonic Drive In advertising its new banana split product on TV, I am going to run directly to McDonald's, without passing "go", without collecting $200, and buy an ice cream sundae while thumbing my nose at Sonic. Except for the Sonic in Scottsville, KY. The owner there always would have a special treat for the winners of the boys who had good seasons in the local boys' baseball leagues, of which I was an 8-year member on some very successful teams. I remember that, and I appreciate it. Thanks, Bill. I'll still give you my business.
posted by Michael Vernon at Monday, June 12, 2006
4 Comments:
I wouldn't exactly call Sonic regional...they have more than 3,000 locations in 31 states.
Now, does it piss me off to see a Sonic commercial when I can't get the country's best onion rings, cherry limeades, or chili dogs because there is no Sonic within 400 miles? A little bit. I grew up on Sonic. Spent many a teenage night drinking cherry-vanilla Pepsi (flavored with fountain syrups, it didn't come that way) or cherry limeade and eating onion rings or large fries. It's a wonder I have decent skin today.
It may be that they are getting a very good media buy nationally that's easier for them than to try to work out multiple buys in 60 0r 70 markets. And besides, it just makes the people like you and me make Sonic the first place we head when we go back home. I rarely make a trip to Atlanta without a stop at Sonic.
Don't go to McDonald's on account of Sonic. Don't do it. Just. say. no. That isn't even real ice cream at McDonald's!
Marc got me hooked on Sonic. I love paying them a visit when we head south.
We much prefer the nerdy couple for sonic advertising. The two guys are BO - ring!
At least Sonic has the good sense Not to have a sleazey young jerk , or a bimbo silently chomoing and slurping, and drooling a greasy blob of burger, the way Hardee's does it. Ye gods is that ever disgusting. After being in the advertising business my whole life, it should be known, but isn't well known, that some advertising sends business to the competition. Hardee's ads make for an instantaneous grope for the remote to change the image - to anything. I'd rather watch a fiery crash, or a sleaze ball wrestled to the ground on "Cops" than watch someone eat like a pig.
You become so familar with Sonic because of the advertising nationwide, that you are more likely to test it out when you pass it on a trip. Smart Marketing
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