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Marketing and Sponsorship

Sonic Drive-In grabs bull by the horns, sees PBR as good fit with sponsor portfolio

The Professional Bull Riders announced last week a partnership with Sonic Drive-In that makes it the first official quick-service restaurant of the PBR and its Built Ford Tough Series.

The deal, which was negotiated in-house, is for one year with an option to extend, said PBR Chairman and CEO Jim Haworth. The partnership began at the Bass Pro Chute Out in St. Louis in mid-February, with banners and Sonic-sponsored PA announcements.

“This is a great deal for us because we’ve been looking for something like this for awhile,” Haworth said. “Sonic was a natural fit for us, and we think there is some opportunity for great crossover with our fans and their consumers.”

Financial details of the deal were not available.

Additional opportunities for brand exposure will vary by market through the remainder of the 2015 schedule, but targets include signage in bucking chutes, in-arena video board commercials and touts through local media.

Tamara Stanley, Sonic director of media, said the Oklahoma City-based company began looking at the PBR as a potential partner nearly two years ago. Sonic sponsors the Big 12 Conference and has team deals in MLB and the NBA, but the PBR agreement marks its first national partnership with a pro sports league.

“We believe they connect so strongly with our roots here in Oklahoma,” Stanley said. “We’re always looking for partnerships that we think align well with our brand strategy, and this is one of those. This gives us a chance to show what our brand is all about.”

Though the partnership was not in place in time for January’s BFTS Express Employment Professionals Invitational in Oklahoma City, a Sonic spokesperson said it “will definitely be a priority” to have a presence there in 2016 if an extension is reached.

In November, Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant signed a deal to become Sonic’s first athlete endorser, but Stanley said individual deals with PBR bull riders are not yet in the cards.

Josh Carpenter is a staff writer for SportsBusiness Daily.

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