Per the Motley Fool:

Sonic stands apart from peers McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Yum! Brands for its aggressive use of national TV advertising, introducing its concept to locales that have yet to see one of its signature drive-ins.

The result? Anticipation. Says Hudson: “Our average unit volume in these newer drive-ins, in these newer states, [where] we’ve had several years of national advertising … are averaging over $2 million in sales.”