Keep it simple, stupid
JAKE WRIGHT
Sonic started with a good thing. Their improvised commercials were hilarious, inspiring parodies from YouTube zombies nationwide.
The Sonic ad campaign was available on Sonic’s Web site, helping office workers decide where to spend their lunch hours. And like so many smart ideas, the campaign was simple. While Burger King was building fiberglass sets and paying Carmen Electra to ride a side of rubber bacon, Sonic was taping a camcorder to the dashboard of a rental car. Brilliant.
The campaign isn’t bad. Not yet, anyway. But the seeds of “trendvertising” have been planted, and they yield a foul-smelling crop. It’s the “tot rejection” spot that has me worried. The spot is normal enough for Sonic: two guys are chatting about sports at the drive-thru. One randomly slaps the other’s tater tot from his hand and yells, “Rejection. Don’t you bring that weak tot action.” Simple, memorable, fun. But the ad is marred by a splash screen promoting “totrejection.com.”
The Web site is part of Madison Avenue’s newest bandwagon: the pointless interactive site. If necessity is the mother of invention, then these abominations were grown in a lab. They seldom focus on the product, rarely offer any outstanding content and have not been proven to generate sales. Totrejection.com is no exception. Its half-baked game couldn’t hold my attention for more than a few seconds. The resources spent following this latest marketing fad could have been spent on ads that actually work.
For a campaign famed for its cleverness and simplicity, this really is a shame.
Humor sells Sonic’s drive-thru
AVERY CARTER
Unless you eat at Sonic regularly, you probably don’t notice it as a fast food option. Their recent commercial campaign did a good job introducing the brand to a new audience.
Sonic is advertised as “America’s Drive-In,” but people today are on the go and want something quick and easy. That’s why it was a smart choice for Sonic to showcase their drive-thru option in commercials. Sonic’s drive-in seems more family-oriented. To show a different perspective, the characters in the campaign represent customers that are friends or may not have kids. Funny character relationships make these commercials fun to watch.
When a Sonic commercial comes on, you already know the personalities of the characters because they’re so memorable. My favorite commercials involve the married couple. The husband is awkward because he doesn’t think before he speaks. This tension creates uncomfortable moments and funny dialogue, like when he mistakenly says his wife has a mustache. The wife is usually quick to comment back with a why-did-I-marry-this-man? look on her face, like the commercial in which they discuss the drinks that adults choose. The realistic character relationships work well with the exaggerated dialogue.
The raucous comments and actions are what make these commercials funny. Really, the situations aren’t that over the top. It’s a new twist on a fast food commercial and gives a personality to Sonic’s image. If anything, the campaign got people talking and thinking about Sonic.
scAD WARS is brought to you by Advertising Design professor Sean Trapani’s Copywriting for Broadcasting class.
