In what I think is one of the most brilliant move marketing campaigns of the past few years, 7-Eleven has turned 11 of their stores into Kwik-E-Marts, the fictional convenience store from the Simpsons. This is to promote the upcoming release of the Simpsons movie. 11 stores across the country have been outfitted in Kwik-E-Mart branding, complete with brands featured in the show that never actually existed before (Buzz Cola, Squishees, and KrustyOs cereal).
What makes this interesting is that 7-Eleven is putting up the bulk of the cost associated with this promotion. They’ve put out the money (“somewhere n the single millions”) to outfit their stores with the new look for the month. They believe this will show that they have a sense of humor about themselves and attract new customers.
It is a big gamble for the company, but the press they will generate from this will probably be great. The important thing is that they didn’t half-ass this – this is a company who took an idea and ran full force from it. The level of detail is impressive and will attract die-hard Simpsons fanatics, as well as casual viewers and non-fans alike.
The messageboard the No Homers Club has a thread with tons of photos of the interior and exterior of one of these converted locations while the Associated Press has more on the business end of things.