Sonic Scam

Have you seen those commericals for Sonic? You know, the ones with either the husband and wife where the husband's a little less than on the ball or two guys where one guy is kinda dumb and they're always talking about Sonic's shakes and what not? Yeah, you know those commercials. But do you know what a Sonic is?

You see, I'm from Oklahoma originally and so is Sonic. I used to love Sonic and when I go a visiting family in either OK or TX I'll probably end of at a Sonic at least once (this is primarily because there is hardly anything but fast food down there and those people live in their cars - and Sonic's are drive ins, the kind where they put the tray of food on your driver-side window). Anyway, when I started seeing those commercials in Chicago, I figured there was a Sonic or two in the greater Chicagoland area. BUT I just read a story in the Trib that Sonic is going to be opening a store in a couple of burbs later this year. Wait - why are they advertising here if there are no restaurants near by? I checked their web site and the closest Sonic to my zip code is in Lafayette, Indiana which is 115 miles away. They can't possibly be in the same TV market as us.

There have been a couple of times I've thought to myself, wow, that shake looks good, next time I'm out in the burbs I should find a Sonic and get me one. The only reason this hasn't happened is (a) I rarely go to the burbs and (b) it's not really that big of a hankering, more just a passing thought.

So have they been running these commercials just to whet our appetite for the last year? That seems a little extreme? Or does Sonic have so much money to burn they figure, what if someone from 60618 happens to be driving through mid-Illinois and sees one of our signs - they'll know what great shakes, and sorta annoying ads, we have. Well no matter. They'll still be in the burbs and I still won't go that far for a shake and I guess I'll have to get used to the ads as now there will actually be Sonic's in the greater Chicagoland area and I doubt they'll pull their advertising from a market they actually serve...or will they?