7-Eleven becomes Kwik-E-Mart

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7-Eleven becomes Kwik-E-Mart
Tweet Topic Started: Jul 2 2007, 09:02 AM (155 Views)
Neo Metallix	Jul 2 2007, 09:02 AM Post #1
~Doomsday Overlord~ Posts: 15,568 Group: =SB= Emperor Member #1 Joined: April 8, 2006 Gender: Male Country: United States of America Playstation Network ID: Doc_Of_D Game Currently Playing: Tales of Xillia	http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070701/ap_on_...ven_kwik_e_mart 7-Elevens become Simpsons 'Kwik-E-Marts' DALLAS - Over the weekend, 7-Eleven Inc. turned a dozen stores into Kwik-E-Marts, the fictional convenience stores of "The Simpsons" fame, in the latest example of marketers making life imitate art. Those stores and most of the 6,000-plus other 7-Elevens in 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. It's all part of a campaign to hype the July 27 opening of "The Simpsons Movie," the big-screen debut for the long-running television cartoon, which loves to lampoon 7-Eleven as a store that sells all kinds of unhealthy snacks and is run by a man with a thick Indian accent. For 20th Century Fox Film Corp. and Homer's creators at Gracie Films, the stunt is a cheap way to call attention to their movie, since 7-Eleven is bearing all the costs, which executives of the retail chain put at somewhere in the single millions. At 7-Eleven, they're hoping it shows the ubiquitous chain has a trait seen in few corporations — the ability to laugh at themselves. "We thought if you really want to do something different, the idea of actually changing stores into Kwik-E-Marts was over the top but a natural," said Bobbi Merkel, an executive for of 7-Eleven's advertising agency, FreshWorks, a unit of Omnicom Group Inc. "It shows they get the joke." The monthlong promotion has been rumored a long time — it's hard to keep a secret known by so many suppliers and franchisees — but 7-Eleven managed to keep the locations of the stores quiet until early Sunday morning. That's when the exteriors of 11 U.S. stores and one in Canada were flocked in industrial foam and given new signs to replicate the animated look of Kwik-E-Marts. The U.S. locations where a 7-Eleven store was transformed into a Kwik-E-Mart are New York City; Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Burbank, Calif.; Los Angeles; Henderson, Nev.; Orlando, Fla.; Mountain View, Calif.; Seattle; and Bladensburg, Md. The idea grew out of conversations between Fox and 7-Eleven's advertising agency. "We wanted to make sure the movie stands out as a true cultural event this summer," said Lisa Licht, a marketing vice president at Fox. "It has to stand out from other summer movies and TV shows." 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. In some cases, 7-Eleven has contracted with manufacturers of similar products to make their Kwik-E-Mart counterparts. Malt-O-Meal, the Northfield, Minn., cereal maker, will conjure up a recipe for KrustyO's, for example. In others, existing products will simply be renamed. One flavor of 7-Eleven's own Slurpee will be sold as "WooHoo! Blue Vanilla" Squishee for the month. Other recent examples of reverse product placement include Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, which spun out of the Harry Potter books and movies, and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurants, which opened after the movie "Forrest Gump." 7-Eleven has done other movie-themed promotions, including one this spring for the latest Spiderman installment. After Fox pitched a 7-Eleven tie-in last year, representatives from the studio, the stores, and Gracie Films — including Simpsons creator Matt Groening and executive producer James L. Brooks, met in Los Angeles to kick around ideas. Brooks added one — holding a contest to let one fan be drawn into a future episode of the TV show. 7-Eleven executives loved the idea. They had surveys showing a strong overlap between their customers and fans of the show — both tend to be young and male. It sounded like cash registers ringing. "They've been looking at Squishees and KrustyO's and Buzz Cola for years and have never been able to put their hands on it," said Merkel, the advertising executive. But they won't find Duff beer, the brand chugged by Homer Simpson. The movie will be rated PG-13, and selling a Simpson-themed beer "didn't seem to fit," said Rita Bargerhuff, a 7-Eleven marketing executive. "That was a tough call, but we want to make sure it's considered good, responsible fun." Bargerhuff predicted extra sales to Simpsons fans will more than offset the cost of the promotion and create new customers for the chain. She also said the chain is prepared for crowds and will have extra security and clerks at the Kwik-E-Marts. The promotion, however, is not risk-free. The proprietor of Kwik-E-Mart is a man named Apu who speaks in a heavy Indian accent. He is based on a manager Groening encountered while shopping at a 7-Eleven in Los Angeles nearly 20 years ago and plays to stereotypes about convenience-store operators and Asian immigrants. Many of 7-Eleven's franchisees are Indian, company officials say, although they say they don't track exact numbers. Bargerhuff said they were "overwhelmingly positive" after hearing of the Kwik-E-Mart idea, but "it was not a 100 percent endorsement." "There was definitely a concern of offending people," she said. "But they seemed to understand that 'The Simpsons' makes fun of everybody. The vast majority saw this as a great opportunity." That's the case for Kumar Assandas, a 28-year-old franchisee whose parents immigrated from India. His store in suburban Las Vegas is one of the temporary Kwik-E-Marts. "I know it's a stereotype, but it doesn't bother me. Everybody knows it's a joke," Assandas said. "I'm a big Simpsons fan myself, and maybe subconsciously it even inspired me to become a 7-Eleven owner."
	Puncture the Porcupine, my fancharacter!


Lord Spin	Jul 2 2007, 12:09 PM Post #2
They got Freddy. Poor Freddy. Posts: 5,845 Group: Former Monarchs Member #1,038 Joined: May 13, 2007	Look, I wanna see this movie as much as anyone else, but changing stores? Is each gonna have Apu in it? Yay A-Rank Member! =D
	NEVAR FORGET


Lord DragonFlame	Jul 2 2007, 12:19 PM Post #3
Christmas is back again Posts: 17,411 Group: Former Monarchs Member #348 Joined: December 9, 2006 Gender: Male Steam ID: Warzak85DF	Man i should have been there to see Apu in the stores. Rather nutty idea making it because of the movie. But it is creative i say.
	Working on banner, but if your looking to have some time off. Come, visit my channel on youtube. Warzak85DF's Let's Play corner


Tux	Jul 2 2007, 12:37 PM Post #4
Donning the Outfit Posts: 1,863 Group: S Rank Hero Member #1,450 Joined: June 23, 2007	What. The. Fuzz??? I'm speechless here, but in a good way ^^ That's awesome to see Kiwk-E-Marts.
	GOT THE WHOLE WORLD AHEAD OF YA, KID.


Lord Spin	Jul 2 2007, 12:45 PM Post #5
They got Freddy. Poor Freddy. Posts: 5,845 Group: Former Monarchs Member #1,038 Joined: May 13, 2007	Yeah, I'm gonna have to find a 7-11 first though D=
	NEVAR FORGET


Doppelgänger	Jul 2 2007, 01:53 PM Post #6
Sandopolis Act 2 Posts: 2,073 Group: E Rank Hero Member #172 Joined: August 9, 2006	I always called convinence [Sp?] stores Kwik-E-Marts anyway. This isn't anything different to me.
	To Anyone Who Cares: I'm leaving. For good this time. I thought I missed this place but no one talks to me and I feel like I'm not wanted so yeah... I really did love it here since everything went down here. But... Oh well. Guess I'll just stick to my crappy life where rumors are started about me saying I like to give blow-jobs to people and that I take intense drugs. Fun. I love anyone who loves me. =] ....Which probably isn't anyone. [/Cut.]


Duckroll	Jul 2 2007, 03:12 PM Post #7
AS IF Posts: 4,604 Group: A Rank Legend Member #533 Joined: February 2, 2007	I'd go to LA just to see that!
	Kaki\|DA


Lord Spin	Jul 2 2007, 03:13 PM Post #8
They got Freddy. Poor Freddy. Posts: 5,845 Group: Former Monarchs Member #1,038 Joined: May 13, 2007	The last time I saw a 7/11 was in Florida... I'm going there again next month, but it's after the movie comes out =P
	NEVAR FORGET


Duckroll	Jul 2 2007, 03:18 PM Post #9
AS IF Posts: 4,604 Group: A Rank Legend Member #533 Joined: February 2, 2007	I go to 7-11 almost every day. Just to hang out. Not seeing one seems like not seeing cars or something. 0_o
	Kaki\|DA


Lord Spin	Jul 2 2007, 03:18 PM Post #10
They got Freddy. Poor Freddy. Posts: 5,845 Group: Former Monarchs Member #1,038 Joined: May 13, 2007	No 7/11s here in North Carolina D= Well... at least not in Charlotte.
	NEVAR FORGET


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