It's all over the news- our industry news, anyway. After a year of negotiation and collaboration with Fox, and a month-long secrecy after many many rumours, 7-Eleven unveiled some of its selected stores which have been converted into Kwik-E-Marts, the convenience store of choice in the Simpson's cartoon series.
7-Eleven in the North America will sell items that until now existed only on television: Buzz Cola, KrustyO’s cereal and Squishees, the slushy drink knockoff of Slurpees. The Fox/7-Eleven deal is an example of a practice called reverse product placement. Instead of just putting products prominently in a movie or TV show, fake goods move from the screen to reality.
Another trivia: Kwik-E-Mart was actually borne out of Simpson's creator Matt Groening's experience with the store where most often, the store franchisee/operator is an Indian/Asian immigrant. But the 7-Eleven franchisees support the promotion and they say," People know it's a joke. And they get it."
Brand suicide? The universal corporate mentality is that permitting anything short of deification of the brand -- much less self-ridicule -- is tantamount to suicide. Look at their POPs:
Outside the store: "Thank you for loitering. Please come again."
In front of the parking spaces: "5 Minute Parking. Violators Will Be Executed."
On the ATM itself: "First Bank of Springfield. Misplacing Decimal Points Since 194.5"
On the sandwich openshowcase: "Every item guaranteed fresh or your money grudgingly refunded"
The thing about thinking out of the box is that it works!
This is a marketer's dream- to create a buzz and to leave a legacy. But it doesn't take just one person. It's all about big ideas, collaboration and excellent execution.
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