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'Motivated Messaging' Techniques & Tactics

45-Million Piece 'Peel-A-Present' Cup Game Runs June 1 - July 15 - Or While They Last!

(NEWTOWN, Conn. - June 12, 2003) - Leverage Marketing Group, of Newtown, Conn., has recently completed its assigned role for Barkley Evergreen & Partners (BE&P) of Kansas City, Mo., to provide motivational promotions planning, administration and execution to the 200-plus-strong ad agency's Oklahoma City-based QSR client, Sonic, America's Drive In.

Under the direction of BE&P, Leverage created a six-week "Peel-A-Present" on-cup game designed to drive traffic and excitement at more than 2,600 Sonic locations in 30 states. The 45-million piece "Peel-A-Present" promotion was conceived by Leverage to support the $2.2 billion quick-service restaurant chain's celebration of its 50-year legacy of serving families fun and flavor in a fast yet fresh and appealing way. BE&P created the accompanying $10 million ad campaign now running on national cable and elsewhere.

"A birthday is about three things: fun, games and presents," says Pattye Moore, president, Sonic Corp. "At Sonic Drive-In, that's what we have in store for millions of Sonic customers as we celebrate our 50th birthday." Forty million of the game pieces will highlight the restaurant's popular favorites, such as their CreamSlush™ blended treats, burgers and corn dogs, while another five million will feature the drive-in chain's new breakfast offerings, including the Sunrise Smoothie® drinks, French Toast Sticks and Breakfast Burritos.

Click Here to View the Sonic Drive-In Promotion (Quicktime Movie - 4.2 MB)

"We were fortunate to be working with Leverage on this promotion," says BE&P's senior vice president and team leader, Steve Bawden. "Leverage added a viable and highly brand-supportive promotional component to Sonic's 50th birthday campaign - with all the proper feeling and flair - on budget, and on time. Both the client and the Sonic team at BE&P are very pleased."

Leverage also orchestrated the promotion's administration and security, including the seeding of top prizes. "We had to make sure all segments were covered, and all parties were working in tandem under our supervision," says Leverage president Mike Casale. "After 25 years of promotion experience and more than 1.5 billion game pieces behind us, we can fully appreciate the need to provide the utmost care and attention."

Some of the common prizes included instant-win menu items, such as a Free Cherry Limeade, or instant discounts, such as Buy One, Get One Free (BOGO) Junior Burger or a 99-cent Sunrise Smoothie® drink. The instant win merchandise prizes included Free MP3 Players and Free Gas for a Year. Also featured are over 50 instant-win Mustang go-karts and four special grand prizes of a 2003 Ford Mustang convertible.

In addition, Leverage conceived and delivered a staff component to help gain acceptance and enthusiasm from Sonic employees. Prizes offered in the "Sonic Crew Game" include free soda and Blockbuster® Video certificates. Aside from matching the look and feel of Sonic's family-oriented, "retro-future" signage and menu graphics, the game pieces need to embrace the chain's attitude of mildly irreverent humor. This included placing dryly-comical phrases under the winning prize reveals, such as "Singing lessons not included" for the MP3, and "No cherries were harmed in the making of this drink" for the Cherry Coke®.

"Whether it was incorporating the client's personality, graphic standards or menu items, it's all by design," says Casale. "Not only does this allow us to build on existing brand equity, it allows us to, as we say, 'Motivate to the Message'... the Motivation in this case is the prizes, which drive traffic, and the Message is everything else, which helps reinforce the brand to create repeat customers and ongoing sales," explains Casale.

"Besides," he says, "the appeal of instant-win games is proven and inexhaustible. Nothing is more powerful than playing a game like this and knowing the outcome - instantly!"

BACKGROUNDERS

About Sonic

About Leverage