Sonic Adds Ellie Kemper and Jane Krakowski to Its Improv-Heavy Campaign

Sonic has a new comedic team pitching its products. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt stars Ellie Kemper and Jane Krakowski are now pitching sliders and shakes for the drive-in chain. In a bid to evolve its improv-heavy campaign from Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Sonic tapped Kemper and Krakowski to star in six spots, which will air over the next six months. Given the improvisation Sonic has used on set for the last 15 years with its iconic spokespeople—the Two Guys played by comedians Peter Grosz and T.J. Jagodowski—the company wanted to "get some fresh blood in the car" who could also improvise on the fly, explained Lori Abou Habib, chief marketing officer for Sonic. The spots were directed by Biscuit Filmworks' Clay Weiner, who has worked with Goodby Silverstein & Partners on the campaign for years. (Creative shop Barkley originally conceived of the campaign.) "Improv was encouraged," said Kemper, of the environment while shooting the spots. "They kept it really loose, which was nice because it's the spirit of those commercials and that campaign." [kickout id="1"] Abou Habib noted that, "Having some new duos in the car is a long-term thing [for the chain]. ... We want to keep consumers guessing about who's in the car next." Kemper said it was easy to say yes to working with Sonic and noted that Jagodowski taught her improv in Chicago years ago. "He's a genius," said Kemper. Kemper and Krakowski also shot digital spots, , for the campaign, which pitches typical Sonic fare as well as a new product: Sonic Signature Slingers (a blended burger which combines beef and mushrooms). "I thought that we would be consuming a lot more Sonic [on set] but the ladies from the props department did such a good job styling the food that we weren't actually eating as much as I thought we were, because so much of it remained intact," said Kemper. "I had Sonic on the way home because I'll tell you that, when you're holding a burger all day on set eventually you want to eat that burger." [kickout id="2"] CREDITS: Ad Agency: Goodby Silverstein & Partners Client: SONIC Drive-IN Title of Creative Work: The New Duo Client CEO & President: Cliff Hudson Chief Brand Officer: Jose Dueñas Chief Marketing Officer: Lori Abou Habib VP of National Marketing: Darin Dugan VP of Brand Insights: Barbara Williams Sr. Director of Creative and Brand Content: Burke Morley Director of Advertising Production: Ashley Daniel Sr. Manager of Digital Content: David Patt VP of Public Relations: Christi Woodworth Sr. Manager of Communications: Jason Acock Creative Co-Chairmen: Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein Chief Creative Officer: Margaret Johnson Creative Director: Jon Wolanske Associate Creative Director: Justin Ralph, Kristin Graham Copywriter: Caroline Cappelli Art Director: Ryan Tovani Production Director of Production: Tod Puckett Executive Broadcast Producer: Matthew Winks Broadcast Producer: Christine Oh Production Coordinator: Daniel Chang Account Services Managing Partner: Leslie Barrett Account Director: Kaitlin Giannetti, Lee Wilson, Kate Knysh Account Manager: Chelsea Bruzzone Assistant Account Manager: Sarah Lucia, Colin Abel Brand and Communication Strategy Head of Brand Strategy: Bonnie Wan Group Brand Strategy Director: Kelly Evans Pfeifer Brand Strategist: Ginny Rider Jr. Brand Strategist: Joe Krakoff Group Communication Strategy Director: Dong Kim Business Affairs Business Affairs Associate Director: Judy Ybarra Business Affairs Associate Manager: Anna Diokno Outside Vendors Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks Director: Clay Weiner Managing Director: Shawn Lacy Executive Producer: Holly Vega Head of Production: Rachel Glaub & Mercedes Allen-Sarria Producer: Lisa Stockdale Production Company: Woodshop Studios Director: Trevor Shepard Executive Producer: Sam Swisher Producer: Ursula Camack Editorial: Arcade Editors: Nick Rondeau and Sean Lagrange Assistant Editors: Ryan Andrus & Paulo Miramontes Managing Partner: Damian Stevens Executive Producer: Crissy DeSimone Sr. Producer: Kirsten Thon-Webb Jr. Producer: Adam Parker Telecine: The Mill LA Colorist: Greg Reese Online/VFX: Timber Creative Directors/Partners: Jonah Hall & Kevin Lau Executive Producer: Sabrina Elizondo Sr. Producer: Emily Avoujageli Flame Artist: Chris Homel Flame Assistant: Brack Hightchew Audio Mix: Lime Studios Mixer: Joel Waters Assistant Mixer: Chris Nungary Music & Sound: Butter Music Creative Director: Max Schad Executive Producer: Annick Mayer Producer: Stone Irr

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Sonic Adds Ellie Kemper and Jane Krakowski to Its Improv-Heavy Campaign

Comedic duo will appear in 6 spots

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Kristina Monllos