Sonic Drive-In is now the official quick-service restaurant of the collegiate athletic Southeastern Conference, the chain said on Tuesday.
Sonic, a chain of more than 3,500 restaurants based in Oklahoma City, signed a multi-year agreement with the SEC and the SEC Network, which televises many of the conference’s 21 sports, effective July 1. The agreement will mostly focus on football games across the SEC Network, ABC and ESPN.
The sponsorship will include Sonic commercials that will be aired during the new “SEC on ABC” college football show as well as the ABC/ESPN Noon College Football programs and the SEC Network.
Sonic also will be involved at games through SEC Nation, the network’s traveling football pre-game show.
“Sonic has been connected to college and professional sports throughout our 70-year history, and we couldn’t be prouder to once again join our fans on the field as the Official Quick Service Restaurant partner of the SEC,” Sonic chief marketing officer Ryan Dickerson said in a release announcing the deal. “With its [expanded] footprint, the SEC is now even closer to so many of our amazing guests and team members across the Southeast, and we look forward to bringing more fun to them and to college football this season. Whether we’re living it up with fans at the pre-game tailgate or showing off with the most craveable food at the afterparty, we’ll be there for the action all season long.”
As of July 1, the SEC added the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma, giving the conference a total of 16 members.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said he was “pleased” with the new arrangement. “The SEC sponsor program is important to the mission of supporting SEC athletics programs and their student-athletes,” he said. “The addition of Sonic strengthens an already robust family of sponsors for the Conference and we look forward to the participation of Sonic in our programming and championship events.”
ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company, which also owns the majority of ESPN. Disney Advertising’s senior vice president of sales, Andrew Messina, also praised the new arrangement.
“At Disney, we’re passionate about developing unique opportunities for brands to connect with college football fans everywhere, and this season we are thrilled to welcome Sonic Drive-In as the Official Quick Service Restaurant of the SEC,” he said. “With Sonic on board, the fan experience will reach new heights for SEC fans across all Disney platforms.”
Sonic’s SEC sponsorship comes on the heels of its participation in the X-Games Ventura at the end of June, where, among other activations, it operated a VIP section that hosted star athletes and offered attendees samples of its new drinks.
That’s all part of a broader marketing platform that Sonic launched in June called “Live Free Eat Sonic,” which highlight’s its distinctive qualities including its wide variety of drinks.
Sonic Drive-In is a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Inspire Brands.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected]
