The 'new' Sonic: as fast as it gets and good to go

Nation's Restaurant News, Feb 24, 1997 by Theresa Howard

In a segment wrought with fierce competition, Sonic Corp. continues its fight for the almighty belly with a guarantee promotion that breaks next week.

As part of an overall effort to position the brand as a true competitor in the quick-service arena, Sonic will debut a "5-minute guarantee" it hopes will help cement it in the minds of consumers alongside such dominant quick servers as McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's.

The offer promises customers they will receive their order in five minutes or less. If the order time exceeds five minutes, customers receive a coupon redeemable for a free hamburger on their next visit.

The promotion is part of a four-month-long initiative that kicked off in January. The program targets a range of issues, including a speed-of-service misperception among consumers, an opportunity to drive dinner sales and a way of changing consumer thinking about where Sonic food actually is consumed.

Based on research undertaken last fall, Sonic learned that consumers do not consider drive-in service as fast as drive-thru service. In addition, the research revealed, consumers feel compelled to dine on a Sonic lot rather than use the lot as a means of merely picking up an order.

On top of that, Sonic discovered that the speed issues had a correlation to dinner sales. Because consumers feel more crunched for time during dinner, they were less likely to choose Sonic for a dinner occasion, according to the research. Although service times for the made-to-order concept run about four minutes, Sonic was not drawing from the consumer pool for dinner because customers did not deem the service as fast as that of its burger counterparts.

"The purpose of the campaign is twofold," said Michael Niles, senior director of marketing, advertising and sales at Sonic. "We are looking to increase dinner sales, but we are also looking to correct the misperception that drive-ins are slower than drive-thrus."

In January the company launched an advertising-and-marketing program to address the misperception about speed. Using elements of a retro '70s program, Sonic tapped the music world for the cornerstone of the campaign.

Betting that any consumer even slightly conscious during the 1970s would remember the discotheque-era theme song "Do the Hustle," Sonic acquired the rights to and subsequently incorporated the incessant, melodic musical orchestration into its advertising.

The fast-moving advertising features an array of customer, employee and product shots accompanied by the "Hustle" background music, while a voice-over announces the promotion.

"The reason we chose the `Hustle' is we were looking for a way to communicate quickly and in an effective and entertaining way that Sonic provides fast service," Niles said. "The song is a cultural icon; everybody knows the thing. It provides a communication shorthand and has a `sticks-with-you' quality."

January and February provided Sonic with the opportunity to lay a foundation for addressing the speed issue. "We gave customers permission to believe that fast is OK with made-to-order service," Niles said. "This promotion will provide them with tangible evidence about how fast we are."

Although service times typically average four minutes, Niles said the company went with a five-minute threshold because people didn't identify with a four-minute threshold. Research revealed that 43 percent of consumers in the test group would visit Sonic more frequently for a four-minute guarantee, but 57 percent would visit more frequently to take advantage of a five-minute guarantee.

The latest marketing effort also aims to educate consumers that drive-in service does not lock them into dining on a Sonic lot. For the first time in any Sonic advertising, consumers are shown enjoying Sonic food in an "off-lot experience."

"Historically, we have focused on the on-lot experience," Niles said. "What we are doing here is showing visuals of a completely different type. Consumers are shown enjoying Sonic [food] at home and in front of the television. Customers feel like we have told them they have to stay on the lot, and we're saying that you can pull into your personal ordering station and pull out with your food to enjoy it wherever you want."