Simpson Mania

7-ELEVEN/SIMPSONS MOVIE KWIK-E-MART EXPERIENCE

AGENCY: FreshWorks

CLIENT: 7-Eleven, Inc.

for lovers of sweets it was a dream come true. Racks of pink, sprinkled doughnuts displayed in bakery cases enticed even the most apathetic customers to live out a cartoon fantasy.

After all, who could resist that mouth-watering treat, the Sprinklicious Donut, made famous in one of TV’s longest running animated sitcoms, “The Simpsons”?

It was all part of the magic that materialized Pro Awards in five categories for “The Simpsons Movie” Kwik-E-Mart campaign — which was also honored by the judges as Best Overall.

“We wanted to touch ‘The Simpsons’ like it never had been before,” says Bobbi Merkel, director of convergence for TPN/FreshWorks, 7-Eleven’s advertising agency, which developed the idea with Fox and Gracie Films, the TV series’ creator. “When we sat down, we thought about things from a consumer’s point of view. We had input from families and friends [along those lines].

Research showed that 7-Eleven and “Simpsons” fans shared a similar audience: males 18 to 34.

To grab its audience and promote the Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. film, 7-Eleven brought a piece of the show to life — literally. In a reverse product placement move, the company turned a dozen stores in North America into Kwik-E-Marts, the fictional convenience store made famous in “The Simpsons.”

The goals: to reinforce 7-Eleven as a fun, relevant brand and boost bakery sales while promoting the film’s July 27, 2007, opening. The 7-Eleven promotion kicked off July 1.

“The partnership was such a natural,” says Rita Bargerhuff, vice president of marketing for 7-Eleven, Inc. “We thought if we were able to pull it off, it would benefit both entities.”

Working on a budget of less than $3 million, 7-Eleven turned the fictitious store into a reality at 12 7-Eleven locations a month before the film’s opening.

But there were challenges. For one, the Kwik-E-Mart portrayed on the show is far from flattering. It positions the traditional convenience store as a place that sells unhealthy food and might possibly not pass a Health Department inspection.

“We had some people saying, ‘Are we sure about this? This could put the brand at risk,’ ” Bargerhuff admits. “But we knew we had a better store experience to share. One great way to get people in the store was to offer an incredible, delightful ‘Simpsons’ experience.”

So 7-Eleven and FreshWorks forged ahead. Reps set up life-size cutouts featuring “Simpsons” characters Homer and Bart, among others, throughout the store. Customers could “shop” with Marge or buy products at the check out with a standee of Apu, the show’s Kwik-E-Mart employee.

Outside, the chain replaced its traditional logo with Kwik-E-Mart signage and humorous P-O-P that played off “The Simpsons” humor. One sign read, “Thank You For Loitering. Please Come Again.” Signs hung in parking lots read, “5 Minute Parking. Violators Will Be Executed.”

Even fake products featured on “The Simpsons” became a reality. 7-Eleven contacted manufacturers to create items from the show, such as KrustyO’s cereal and Buzz Cola.

“To actually see a 7-Eleven transform the store and put [‘Simpsons’] stuff in it was an added ‘ha, ha,’ ” Bargerhuff says. “Everyone knows who the Simpsons are. The humor was generally funny to most people, but there were a couple of little inside jokes. If you knew the story, you got rewarded.”

7-Eleven even renamed existing products to further tie in to the promotion. For example, its iconic Slurpee was sold as a Squishee during the effort. And the Sprinklicious Donuts, developed to boost bakery sales, were a big hit. The chain sold more than 2 million during the promotion. And since then, the item has become a permanent part of the bakery.

It was one reason the promotion also won a Pro Award for Best Campaign Generating Brand Awareness and Trial Recruitment.

What made the Simpsons takeover work?

“It was the convergence of multiple touch points all happening at once,” Merkel says. “7-Eleven was able to have fun with itself and have fun with their customers and their products. It took a village. It was invigorating and challenging, but we surprised and delighted a lot of people.”

Word quickly spread about the transformation. The chain also used PR and Homer Simpson’s voice in a radio spot to draw customers. An online contest added another twist. 7-Eleven offered customers the chance to become an animated character in an episode of “The Simpsons” TV show. That stunt alone drew more than 40,000 entrants, and Web site hits for July reached more than 79 million, a 320% increase over July 2006.

The result? Customers flocked to the stores, with some driving across state lines to visit the Kwik-E-Mart. Lines at several locations poured out the door during the first week of the promotion.

7-Eleven had high hopes that people would see its twisted sense of humor — a trait few companies are willing to show. And customers got the message.

“They said, ‘You are very cool because you get us. We didn’t expect a large corporation to be comfortable with this,’ ” Bargerhuff says. “That was the biggest home run for us.”

7-Eleven’s bakery sales increased by more than 15% compared to the same period in 2006, and doughnut sales jumped by more than 20%. Customers even asked to buy items not for sale, like character cutouts and employee uniforms.

“A dream-come-true promotion is when it has lasting impact on the brand,” Bargerhuff says. “This was it.”

THE JUDGES SAID:

• The boldness of the takeover — the fact that they allowed a complete takeover — created a whole new experience.

• The publicity that it generated was completely unexpected.

• It exceeded the buzz factor.

• It wasn’t your traditional co-promotion.

• They took 7-Eleven and made a real-life cartoon out of it.

FIVE TIMES A CHARM

• This campaign was a winner in five categories, the most ever won by a single campaign in recent memory: Best Use of Event Marketing (More Than Five Venues); Best Sponsorship or Tie-In Campaign; Best Campaign Generating Brand Awareness and Trial Recruitment; Best Use of P-O-P; Best Retail/Co-Marketing Campaign.

IDEA TO STEAL: BE ORGANIC:

“If you are going to do something and you want it to be big, make sure it fits with your brand,” advises Rita Bargerhuff, vice president of marketing for 7-Eleven, Inc. “The promotions that are going to be most successful are the ones that have connections with customers.”