Commentary

Paris, Nicole Return To Sonic With Iconic Drinks, New Show


Not many QSRs can say they’ve had the world’s most famous besties working  behind the drive-thru counter as their very first jobs, much less have them return two decades later for a hilarious second round. In the case of Sonic and Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, the celebrity lightning bolt does in fact strike twice.

The dynamic duo recently reunited 20 years after their last foray into the world of the working class in their hit show “The Simple Life,” where they not only worked at Sonic but as farmers and other sorts of jobs completely alien to the hotel heiress and daughter of Lionel Richie.

The new mini-series, entitled “Paris & Nicole The Encore” began airing last week on Peacock, and finds the now adult women back at “work,” which of course includes another spin at the Sonic drive-thru as well as costumed hot dog mascots. They also return to bartending, as well as make an attempt to create an opera out of their famous Sanasa catchphrase/song, which the lifelong friends wrote together as seven-year-olds.

To promote the show, as well as the new Paris and Nicole Drink Menu at Sonic, the brand, in collaboration with Hilton’s 11:11 Media production company and director Brian Ziff, created an online ad featuring the women sitting in a Sonic drive-in. The two debate what to call their new drinks. Paris’s consists of Sprite, dragon fruit flavor and real lemon and lime fruits, topped with whipped topping and NERDS candy. Nicole’s is Dr. Pepper, sweet cream, vanilla flavor and strawberries, topped with whipped topping and more strawberries. Of course they land on their own “iconic” names (Hilton’s new album also just happens to be titled “Infinite Icon”). The duo ends the spot by contemplating their own catchphrase: “Sanasa.. or is it SONICsa?”

QSR Insider asked Sonic CMO Ryan Dickerson about the collaboration and the return of the brand’s most popular former employees.

QSR Insider: How did the opportunity to collaborate with Paris and Nicole again come about?

Dickerson: [Their team actually] reached out to us this past summer about returning to Sonic to film for their upcoming television reboot. When photos from the shoot leaked, we saw a lot of excitement around the upcoming show and the duo being back at Sonic, so we collaborated with them on the drink campaign ahead of the show premiering last week.

QSR Insider: How did you develop the Paris and Nicole drinks? Were the besties actually involved?

Dickerson: They were! Our culinary team worked with Paris and Nicole to create combinations that incorporated some of their favorite flavors and colors, while also bringing in individual aspects of their glamorous, over-the-top personalities.

QSR Insider: How does this second collab with the duo represent the Sonic brand?

Dickerson: Sonic is known for our thousands of drink combinations, so what better way to play into Paris and Nicole’s fun, larger-than-life personalities than by having them reflected in customized drinks? A drink collaboration allowed us to stay true to our brand while also staying true to Paris and Nicole.

QSR Insider: The trend towards nostalgia, especially for millennials (who grew up watching “The Simple Life”) is huge and only appears to be growing, with companies like Chain bringing old QSRs back to the public eye, Taco Bell with its "Decades" menu and several brands bring back collectible cups and toys (IHOP, McDonald's). What do you think about the trend, and was this part of the motivation driving the collab?

Dickerson: It’s funny you mention Chain, as we partnered with them for their inaugural ChainFest event in LA last year. While nostalgia is huge, what really motivated this collaboration is our authentic history with Paris and Nicole and their love for our brand.

If you watch their interviews leading up to this week’s premiere, they’ve said multiple times that Sonic was actually their first job, and was their favorite during the original series. You can’t fake authenticity, and that’s the type of partnerships we go after -- and the ones our fans respond to best.

Next story loading loading..