Sonic Brand Persona

Executive Summary

After 3 failed restaurant ventures, Sonic founder Troy Smith opened the first Sonic, called Top Hat at the time, in Shawnee, Oklahoma in 1933. In 1936, a manager of a Woodward supermarket, Charlie Poppe joined the Top Hat venture. Due to copyright issues, the growth of Top Hat slowed. Using the preexisting Top Hat slogan, “Service at the Speed of Sound”, the carhop restaurant want renamed “Sonic”. Since then, Sonic has grown to one of the largest fast-food chain restaurants in the nation, known for its customer convince and service.

Background

Sonic’s marketing efforts have evolved with the times. Its motto “This is how we Sonic” was slightly modified in 2020 along with its logo to be more modernized and inclusive. Its infamous commercials once featured “two guys” and aimed to be humorous and memorable. Sonic has since shifted away from this type of commercial to show real people enjoying Sonic in their cars, leading to a huge rise in customers. Sonic has started to use social media like Snapchat to further connect with its audience by including them in its menu creation. Sonic recently challenged Tiktok influencers to recreate classic menu items using their own ingredients. The launching of the Sonic app should lead to more adaptability and customization for its customers.

Sonic is known for its hamburgers, fries and corn dogs. But its menu is ever-expanding, with chili dogs, breakfast toaster sandwiches and thousands of drink options. The most common being soft drinks, teas, slushies, milkshakes and ice cream treats.

Sonic has been around for over 70 years and continues to be one of the most popular fast-food chains in the U.S. today. The company continues to change with the trends, using its social media presence and innovative marketing to keep the brand relevant, inclusive and modern.