Salty, Sweet & Social: How SONIC's Salted Caramel Coffee Grew Social Mentions by 38%
Oct 13, 2025
SONIC drive-in partnered with Kale to capitalize on seasonal trends and authentically promote its new Salted Caramel Coffee. The campaign ultimately increased awareness and social mentions, generating buzz around the coffee launch.
Background & Objectives
This fall, SONIC drive-in introduced a bold new seasonal beverage: Salted Caramel Coffee - a smooth and tasty alternative to the traditional pumpkin spice latte. Designed to offer a refreshingly satisfying take on fall flavors, SONIC positioned Salted Caramel Coffee as the new go-to drink of the season.
To support the launch, SONIC partnered with Kale to achieve two key objectives:
Promote their seasonal brand message - "Forget Pumpkin Spice, Salted Caramel Coffee is the NEW drink of Fall"
Generate authentic UGC and buzz around the launch
Strategy
Through Kale's platform, SONIC launched a challenge encouraging creators to visit a SONIC drive-in, try the Salted Caramel Coffee, and share their live reactions via video. To set creators up for success, the brand provided a sample review video from a food content creator and included a store locator to make it easy for participants to find their nearest SONIC location.
Results
The results of the campaign were impressive. In just 3 weeks, the SONIC x Kale partnership generated over 140+ videos, each featuring taste tests and authentic reviews. The campaign achieved a 9% average engagement rate, which is over 5% greater than the food & beverage average on Kale. Most importantly, SONIC saw a 38% increase in social mentions, signaling a successful lift in awareness and buzz around the launch.
