LOS ANGELES - 7-Eleven has created an increasingly important marketing avenue for entertainment companies wishing to promote their properties, Variety reports.
The chain??s World Wrestling Entertainment promotion, which took over 8,200 of its U.S. and Canada stores, provided blanket coverage of WWE??s "SummerSlam" pay-per-view, which "hit the ring" Sunday.
The WWE promotion is just the latest entertainment tie-in venture for 7-Eleven, after a 2007 deal with 20th Century Fox transformed its stores into Kwik-E-Marts for "The Simpsons" movie.
Since then, the company has promoted several films, including "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," "The Incredible Hulk" and both "Iron Man" films. It will also team with Marvel for next summer??s "Thor." Together, as Variety writes, they "could serve as a case study for networks as they seek out deep-pocketed allies to help launch their fall TV lineup."
For 7-Eleven, the partnerships are ones that engage consumers and thus help drive sales.
"Partnerships have proven to be a win for all of the parties involved," said Rita Bargerhuff, VP of marketing and chief marketing officer for 7-Eleven. "The properties gain the benefit of exposure that a retail store chain like 7-Eleven provides; customers are delighted, and we are able to attract new customers to try our proprietary products, such as Slurpee, Coffee, Fresh Food and 7-Select products."
For entertainment companies, partnering with a high-profile chain is a way to generate brand awareness in high-traffic areas, especially among the key young male and female demographics.
"We see it as reinforcing WWE's positioning as family friendly and getting that message out there requires good partners that speak to families every day," said Michelle Wilson, WWE's exec VP of marketing.