Sonic, allegedly America’s favorite drive-in restaurant, is prepping fans for summer with a full line of vacation-ready promos. The whole thing is ostensibly a tie-in with a new menu item — the Strawberry Shortcake Snowball Slush Float — but really, it seems more like any other merchandise drop that restaurants have been using as seasonal promos.
Arriving on June 1, the new collection features a pool float that looks like a giant styrofoam cup full of an icy red drink (complete with cherries and limes), a beach chair, towels, swim trunks with a matching shirt, a cooler, stickers, a T-shirt, and a tumbler.
All of the proceeds from the collection will go toward the Sonic Foundation, according to Fox 5, which helps “spark brighter futures for America’s youth through partnerships with local youth-serving nonprofits.”
@sonicdrivein has a new Strawberry Shortcake Snowball Slush Float. Sonic is also launching a new collection of Summertime Merch!! The new merch items are available while supplies last on https://t.co/6F2sj8SrQT beginning June 1st. The drink can be ordered today on the app. pic.twitter.com/fCcdJAiGG4
— Markie Devo (@markie_devo) May 22, 2023
This promotion does not exactly create any waves in terms of originality, but it’s well executed. There’s a cohesive theme throughout, the branding is plainly visible, it ties in different menu items to relate back to the Sonic brand, it captures the summer concept through both apparel and hard goods without overloading the end-user with too many options.
Most importantly, it keeps the Sonic brand top-of-mind in the constant battle of fast food restaurants looking to top each other with seasonal capsule drops.
