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Sonic Drive-In
Starting in the 1950s, Sonic Drive-In grew quietly across Oklahoma and nearby states. Not much advertising was used in the beginning; their drive-through concept was enough to fuel growth in the early years.
But with competition rising in the burger wars, Sonic needed a new marketing plan.
So the company formed an Advertising Trust in 1975 to produce TV and radio commercials. Sonic's first television spot aired on July 11, 1976. The next year, commercials added the line "Sonic – America's Favorite Drive-In." These early campaigns set the stage for the fast food mascot-driven advertising that defined the brand for decades.
1987-1993
Sonic hired Frankie Avalon as its first spokesman in 1987. Avalon had been a teen idol and actor in the 1950s and early 1960s. Created by Barkley Evergreen & Partners, the campaign used the tagline "Sonic – Where the '50s Reach the Future." His appearances boosted sales, and the chain expanded fast. The campaign ran for six years.
1999-Early 2000s
Teaming up with Barkley Evergreen & Partners in Kansas City again, Sonic spent $35 million launching Katie the Carhop in May 1999. The mascot replaced earlier ads that featured different carhops. Sonic hired the Beach Boys to make jingles for the ads. With a new tagline changed to "Sonic. America's drive-in."
2002-2020
Comedians T.J. Jagodowski and Peter Grosz became Sonic's newest spokespeople in 2004. Both came from improv backgrounds. Jagodowski performed at Second City and appeared in Stranger Than Fiction and Get Hard. Grosz wrote for The Colbert Report and Late Night with Seth Meyers and acted on Veep.
They were hired for a campaign that actually started in 2002 and ran until 2012, then returned from 2014 to 2020. Commercials featured the comedians as they sat in a parked car and talked about menu items.
Barkley created the campaign until 2010, when Goodby Silverstein and Partners took over.
2018
Riding on the success of The Two Guys campaign, Sonic added new spots in 2018 featuring Jane Krakowski and Ellie Kemper. They called them the Two Gals.
The Two Gals commercials ran alongside the continuing Two Guys ads. Krakowski had starred in 30 Rock. Kemper appeared in The Office and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Other improv teams also appeared in similar ads: Molly Erdman and Brian Huskey, Katie Rich and Sayjal Joshi, Emily Wilson and Tim Baltz.
The improv ad campaigns were a hit and would become synonymous with the brand.
2020
On January 31, 2020, Sonic dropped the Two Guys and Gals. They started featuring four real families instead. The campaign shifted from "This is how we Sonic" to "This is how you Sonic." The company also updated its logo but kept the arrowhead shape. Mother Los Angeles created the campaign. This happened less than a month before the pandemic started.
2024-Present
Most recently, Sonic introduced new characters on June 3, 2024.
With this new campaign, Mitch Eakins plays the Chief Ingenuity Officer. Veronica Osorio plays Tia Saborita, his assistant who invents flavor combinations.
The newest commercials feature them riding in a retro van (with a Two Guys bobblehead on the dashboard) to a fictional R&D building. Mother Los Angeles still creates the ads.
And finally, on June 17, 2024, Sonic launched LiveFreeShopSonic.com, selling merchandise to fund the Sonic Foundation for public education. The campaign also sponsors X Games Ventura 2024.
Sonic has never used a costumed character or cartoon mascot. The company built its brand through actors and fictional spokespersons. The Two Guys ran longest, nearly two decades after a brief turn toward real families during the pandemic.
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