If you’re looking for a case study on a national retail chain doing local marketing right, look no further than your local slurpee stop. 7-Eleven, in its nearly 90 years, operates over 50,000 chains in almost 100 different countries.
7-Eleven was one of the brands showcased last week at the Hub Magazine’s Retail Experience Symposium. Part of 7-Eleven’s formula success, according VP of Marketing Laura Gordon, is tapping into local passion points to deliver great products.
For instance, take their latest partnership with Faygo, the prized soft drink of Michigan. While Faygo isn’t known well outside the borders of Michigan and Ohio, the local fanaticism inspired 7-Eleven to release the Faygo Redpop Slurpee.
“We want to bring our customers the local products they love and grew up with,” said Nancy Smith, 7‑Eleven senior vice president of fresh foods and proprietary beverages. “Redpop is a long-standing hometown favorite because it’s what they love and crave.”
Events like “Bring Your Own Cup Day” also add a level of engagement, and fun, to to the brand, even if some people went a little overboard.
7-Eleven has proven to be incredibly flexible at reaching customers around the world. In Japan, it’s a caffeinated powerhouse. In a little over a year, 7-Eleven sold half a billion cups in Japan after installing automatic coffee dispensers. In Indonesia, they play the part of a hip coffee shop. In Taiwan, you can pay parking tickets and property taxes there.
7-Eleven’s adaptive marketing strategy will make them poised to continue succeeding, even as consumers are increasingly interested in purchasing local goods and supporting local businesses. In the meantime, I’ll be the first in line for National Free Slurpee Day.