It was clear 2024 was going to be one for the record books – a year filled with many exciting music releases, international sporting events, and even a presidential election. But one pop culture moment far eclipsed all others.
Excitement was building across the U.S. for the Great North American Eclipse on April 8, 2024. For a few hours on a Monday afternoon, millions of people would share an experience unlike any other as they stepped outside to look up at the sky in wonder and awe.
With many SONIC Drive-In locations within the epic “path of totality,” America’s fan-favorite quick service restaurant set out to eclipse the competition with an out-of-this-world celebration.
As crowds of people prepared to travel across the U.S. for the ultimate eclipse view, SONIC Drive-In – America’s fan-favorite quick service restaurant (QSR) where customers can see the sky while dining in their cars – knew that relevance is everything. Instead of playing in a crowded or expected cultural space, an event like the eclipse gave us the chance to bring SONIC into the spotlight in a galactic way that would inspire PR and social buzz, drive product sales and fortify its already beloved drink business.
For fans, SONIC is the ultimate drink destination – famous for its lineup of slushes, shakes and blasts. To get people talking (and ordering) ahead of the solar eclipse we leveraged our expertise by creating a memorable beverage as an ode to the solar eclipse. Not only would the drink need to have a craveable flavor, but the occasion also called for a striking creation to match the impact of the eclipse.
Enter the Blackout Slush Float. The all-black, cotton candy and dragon fruit-flavored slush represented the total temporary darkness from the solar eclipse. Topped with white soft serve and blue and purple galaxy-themed sprinkles and served in a clear cup rather than SONIC’s usual white cup, the Blackout Slush Float was designed to transport fans straight to outer space.
In addition to this limited-time offer, we gave guests a FREE pair of ISO-certified eclipse viewing glasses with every purchase of the Blackout Slush Float. Not only would the glasses drive on-lot traffic and sales, they would also solve a true consumer problem.
We recruited former NASA astronaut and SONIC brand fan, Terry Virts, to be our campaign spokesperson. Terry added real value for readers and viewers beyond the drink and glasses, and his credibility helped expand our message to outlets that don’t normally cover SONIC, keeping the brand at the center of the eclipse conversation.
As North America made plans to gaze at the sky on April 8, our team prepared to announce the Blackout Slush Float on March 18 – three weeks prior to the eclipse. We conducted targeted media outreach under embargo, secured 45+ interviews with our campaign spokesperson and coordinated nationwide drink deliveries to ensure a cosmic wave of coverage and conversation on launch day. Announcing early made SONIC one of the first brands to market, sparking a media frenzy and driving massive social buzz.
The Blackout Slush Float made its debut on Instagram. We created a virtual flipbook where viewers could “block” out the sun. The post had fans commenting things like, “whoever made this needs a raise”!
We pre-identified priority markets within the path of totality to deliver samples of the drink and eclipse glasses to both local and national TV stations across the country. Following our announcement, Terry Virts’ educational interviews went live across online, radio, podcasts and TV outlets – promoting safe eclipse viewing alongside authentic SONIC mentions, like when he quipped Earth was his favorite planet because, “there are SONICs on Earth!”
We tapped seven family-friendly influencers and brand fans, including Snacks and Lex, The Cordle Family and Kyle and Jade, who encouraged families nationwide to prepare for the solar eclipse by visiting SONIC, trying the Blackout Slush Float and receiving their free viewing glasses in the weeks before the event.
Finally, paid editorial integrations in major national magazines (Star, InTouch and Life & Style) featuring the slush alongside major celebrities like Lady Gaga amplified our reach.
Results for the campaign were out-of-this-world – becoming the most successful PR campaign in brand history!
Americans headed to their nearest location to try the Blackout Slush Float with hopes of snagging a last-minute pair of eclipse glasses, which sold out at hundreds of locations nationwide!
The PR-led program resulted in 10 billion impressions via 3,000+ placements. The reaction from media was overwhelmingly positive, with on-air hosts from major broadcast programs like GMA, The TODAY Show (twice!), Fox & Friends, Access Daily and more expressing excitement over the product and doing on-air taste tests. Even The Late Show with Stephen Colbert mentioned the Blackout Slush Float in its opening monologue, while business media – from Forbes to NPR, Kiplinger and Quartz that don’t usually cover SONIC – also published. Finally, SONIC’s eclipse glasses made it on The View and The Daily Show’s Instagrams.
Interviews with Terry Virts helped SONIC break into new outlets including Outside Mag, Space Explored, and Sirius XM’s Pop Culture Podcast with Jessica Shaw.
Our influencer partnership program garnered 1.3 million organic Instagram views, with in-feed video content alone surpassing KPIs for views/impressions by 60%. We eclipsed our content goal by 23% across TikTok and Instagram.
Our paid magazine integrations in Star, InTouch and Life & Style, resulted in 11 million+ estimated impressions and social posts that surpassed benchmark engagement by 17%.
