This fast-food chain is making Instagram history - and it's a glimpse into the future of food
SonicSonic just launched a milkshake unlike any we've ever seen because of Instagram.
The fast-food chain is partnering with Instagram to debut the first-ever fast-food product designed specifically for Instagram that will only be available through the social network.
"Instagram and food are kind of made for each other - I would say it's the perfect platform for food," Sonic CMO Todd Smith told Business Insider.
This is the first time a quick-service chain has sold a product directly through Instagram, using the "shop now" button.
Sonic
Using geo-targeted ads, the company is letting Coachella goers order the shakes this April.
After clicking the "buy now" button, the product is delivered free of charge, styled to maximize Instagram likes. Customers are encouraged to post a photo of their shakes, spreading images of the #SquareShakes on Instagram far beyond Sonic's own account
"We love the idea of being the first food company to do this and fulfill the product right then," says Smith. "The consumers at Coachella... pay essentially by taking an Instagram photo and posting it on Instagram."
The expertly-styled milkshakes will only be available for purchase on Instagram by Coachella attendees, though Smith says the company is already thinking about how to do similar events in the future.
Sonic
"Instagram is an easy place to start because the audience is there," Smith says on Sonic's social strategy. "It still is a platform that millennials love... With the shop now feature, I think Instagram has done a great job of making their own platform even more relevant."