“Sherlock Holmes” Challenge Offers Clues to 7-Eleven Food

The coffee cup sleeves at 7-Eleven offer a clue—"How Holmes Are You?"—to its latest promotion tied to an upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures' film.

If you figured it out, you're on the trail of a challenge that leaves clues—winding through the plot of "Sherlock Holmes"—about the convenience stores fresh foods and beverage deals.

The film, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, respectively, is opening nationwide Christmas day.

The promotion began Nov. 16 with 7-Eleven decorating its stores with window banners and P-O-P signs at the grill, hot beverage bar, sales counter and fuel pumps to promote the movie and 7-Eleven products, such as Big Bite Oscar Mayer all-beef hot dogs, Go-Go Taquitos, breakfast sandwiches and coffee.

A web site—which plays to Holmes London address of 221B Baker Street—is Ground Zero for participating detectives who play either of the main character—Sherlock Holmes or Dr. John Watson.

The coffee sleeves also contain a clue and the Web address where players who complete a fingerprint matching game earn an exclusive clue to help them solve the mystery within the main 221B experience.

All of the clues lead up to the movie's opening scene, and gives a hint to the 7-Eleven promotional partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures. One of the pieces of evidence, for example, is a vintage newspaper that features a front-page ad for "Joe C. Thompson's Coffee Emporium—Open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m." In 1927, Joe C. Thompson Jr. founded The Southland Ice Co., the precursor to the 7-Eleven convenience-store chain.

There is no prize, just another way for customers to have some fun with the "Sherlock Holmes" move experience, a spokesperson said.

Beginning Dec. 11, "Sherlock Holmes" scratch-off-tickets will be available at the stores with a chance for people to win a $2 Holiday Tripler ticket.

FreshWorks, 7-Eleven's agency of record, handles the campaign. Freshworks is a consortium of Omnicom advertising and marketing companies.