DALLAS A dozen 7-Eleven stores have been transformed temporarily into Kwik-E-Marts, sister units of the caricature convenience store featured in the “The Simpsons” television show, as part of the July 27 release of “The Simpsons Movie.”
As part of a month-long tie-in leading up to the movie’s debut, the c-store chain is also offering limited quantities of the show’s KrustyO’s cereal and Buzz Cola, as well as frozen drinks named after the show’s versions, known as Squishees. A special edition of a Radioactive Man comic book, as featured on the television program, was produced just for 7-Eleven. And life-size “citizens of Springfield” can be seen in the stores.
Even the pink-frosted donut with sprinkles featured in “The Simpsons Movie” are available exclusively at 7-Eleven stores. Unlike at the Kwik-E-Mart, the Sprinklicious donuts are made fresh and delivered daily to the stores.
“When you’re the industry leader, others may want to stereotype or poke fun at you,” said Doug Foster, 7-Eleven’s chief marketing officer. “We get the joke and want to have a little fun with our customers and fans of The Simpsons. Visitors to the 7-Eleven-style ‘Kwik-E-Marts’ and our other stores will immediately realize the contrast between ours and the one parodied on The Simpsons show. They’ll see our quality fresh foods and popular services that real-life convenience-oriented consumers want.”
Perhaps the greatest online buzz since 7-Eleven contemplated converting selected stores into Kwik-E-Marts has been the question of where these 12 dressed up stores would pop up. The Kwik-E-Marts have been opened in Manhattan; Bladensburg, Md. (outside Washington, D.C.); Orlando; Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Henderson, Nev.; Los Angeles; Burbank, Calif.; Mountain View, Calif. (outside San Francisco); and Seattle. A Canadian store in Coquitlam, British Columbia, will also be converted.
“As far as we know, this is the first time a major company has partnered with a fictional entity to bring it to life,” said Rita Bargerhuff, senior director for national marketing at 7-Eleven. “Many brands have product placement in a movie, but we were intrigued with the idea of bringing fiction to life – a ‘reverse placement,’ if you will. As the No. 1 show among men ages 18-34, teens, boys ages 12-17, and kids from 6 to 11, ‘The Simpsons’ reaches our core customers. We believe our customers will be delighted to see a life-size Kwik-E-Mart store and have an opportunity to shop there.”
One patron will have the chance to have his or her likeness animated for an upcoming episode of the TV show. This grand prize is part of 7-Eleven’s “Get Animated” promotion through July 31.
Bringing the Kwik-E-Marts and Simpson products to life were ideas born from the collaboration of the creative folks at Twentieth Century Fox, 7-Eleven and its advertising/marketing agency, FreshWorks, an Omnicom company.
“We believe Simpsons fans will be as excited as we are about bringing ‘The Simpsons’ and its products to life through the doors of 7-Eleven stores,” said Sandi Means, FreshWorks COO. “The pent-up interest and guessing about Kwik-E-Marts locations have been fodder for much Internet chatter, and now we can let the secret out about where to find their beloved convenience store. The coolest part is the chance to get animated into the show, and we thank Fox for this huge opportunity.”
Lisa Licht, Twentieth Century Fox’s executive vice president of global marketing partnerships, said: “The promotional strategy for ‘The Simpsons Movie’ was to partner with companies that would execute programs that have never been done before; and 7-Eleven has done just that by converting 12 of its stores to Kwik-E-Marts and outfitting the rest with Simpsons characters and products. We’ve never known a company that has so fully embraced a promotion.”