Analysis of the Sonic Drive-In restaurant concept provides readers with unique data and insight into this leading brand.
Sonic Drive-In is a unique brand distinguished by the fun of specialty drinks, frozen treats, coneys and burgers served by carhops that are sometimes wearing roller skates. The brand's cable ads even have been fun – featuring comedian improvisation which nicely complimented the chain's food message.
However, since the onset of the “Great Recession”, consumers are seemingly less interested in fun (especially when the fun requires expenditures of their discretionary income). This predicament is aggravated by increased beverage competition from the likes of McDonald's. Resultant sales declines (which have been rather dramatic) also have taken all the fun out of being an operator of Sonic restaurants. So with little hope of a return to the roaring nineties/early new millennium when fun was in vogue, this concept finds itself searching for its identity.
It seems to us that brand leadership has not yet found the answer to its identity crisis even as it implements changes of various kinds. However, we believe that Sonic will find its way to restore its considerable brand equity as it pursues a return to the chain's quality heritage which created rabid customer loyalty that still exists today (albeit to a lesser extent).
