Drive-in chain Sonic found an unexpected menu gem when it dropped its candy-filled slushes last year. The company mixed Wonka’s Nerds with its signature frozen drinks and found a concoction so successful that the beverages sold at 50% of their summer peak even in off months. Because of the windfall, Sonic’s going to double-down on the treat.
Per USA TODAY:
In order to reach that coveted young demographic, Sonic employed NBA superstar Kevin Durant to not only star in spots promoting the products—which can be seen below—but designed two drinks for him.
But that marketing strategy has come with its own critics. A nutritionist spoke with the newspaper to voice her opposition.
Warshaw isn’t a sole dissenter. A 2013 study from a team of researchers at Yale, Duke, Harvard, and Stanford found that star athletes were notorious for advertising “nutrient-poor” food: out of 122 food brands that athletes had contracts with, nearly 80% of the food and 93% of the beverages were considered unhealthy.
But if similarly gluttonous and popular ballpark food is any indication, expect these slushes to sell like crazy for a second summer in a row.
[via USA TODAY]