Sonic Corp.’s president and chief marketing officer, Todd Smith, will resign effective March 9, the company said Thursday.
The Oklahoma City, Okla.-based drive-in chain said Smith, who has served as president since January 2016 and CMO since April 2014, will serve in a transition role “and then will pursue an entrepreneurial opportunity outside of the quick-service restaurant industry.”
Sonic said a search is underway to fill the CMO post, and those duties will be allocated among current management in the meantime.
“In Todd’s nearly five years at Sonic, he shifted our marketing strategy to deploy digital communications both on-lot at Sonic and off-lot through media channels,” said Cliff Hudson, Sonic CEO, said in a statement. “We thank Todd for the numerous contributions he has made to the brand and wish him great success in the future.”
Smith said, “As a lifelong Sonic fan, leading the marketing function for this brand was an incredible opportunity and experience.”
Smith joined Sonic in 2012 as vice president of marketing. He helped launch such new products as candy slushes and boneless wings, and signed the brand’s first athlete spokesperson, 2014 NBA most valuable player Kevin Durant. Smith also helped grow Sonic’s proprietary digital menu technology.
Sonic has 3,500 drive-in locations nationwide.
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