Change Is Not Always Good

Sonic sinks into the sea of sameness.

We’ve all heard - and many believe - that change is good. And so it can be, but it has to be a change of improvement, right? Change for the sake of change is not usually as desirable or yields a positive effect. Something has changed with Sonic Drive-in Restaurants, and for me, it’s not a change of improvement.

Great creative is hard to beat. A good concept, good copywriting, good actors, good product - it’s all good. And when it works - work it. Geico, Progressive and many others have shown this to be true. And Sonic had followed that lead for a several years now. Our two guys sitting in the car at Sonic with their quirky personalities created some good interaction, a chuckle or two and memorable brand awareness. It gave Sonic a sense of being unique, fun and a great place to hang out with family and friends. The look is bright and colorful, the food looks delicious and the humor brings it all together.

But something has changed, but what? New marketing director? New CEO? New RFP? New agency? Maybe some or all of these but I’m sure the bigger issue is that Sonic has been represented for all these years by two going-on-middle-age white guys. There is no diversity and so the result is a new concept, a new look and a new direction for Sonic. But that new direction offers nothing memorable, interesting, or appealing.

Pretty footage of places - desaturated, some even dark scenes - even those inside the kitchen of the restaurant. Is this supposed to make me more excited to go out and see the world? Take a road trip? And eat in my car? Not me. Even my most memorable road trips are punctuated with stops to GET OUT OF THE CAR, walk around, stretch. I really don’t want to sit in the car and eat. Sonic has lost all of the fun of the brand. To me it’s trying to look like something it’s not – moody. I feel like they’re trying to talk adventure but the footage looks like a car commercial and that moody footage just doesn’t say food, even the kids eating the burgers in the back seat don’t look happy. Maybe it’s too real. Yes, Sonic now looks different from the other fast food brands, but now they have fallen off my scope. I hardly even noticed their new commercial during a commercial break because it blended into the sea of sameness surrounding it. Nothing about it captures my attention.

So, I’m sad to see some great creative be replaced with nothing special, nothing memorable. Only time (and sales) will tell if this was the smart change for Sonic.