Over the weekend, 7-Eleven Inc. turned a dozen stores into Kwik-E-Marts, the fictional convenience stores of "The Simpsons" fame, in the latest example of marketers making life imitate art.
Those stores and most of the 6,000-plus other 7-Elevens in North America will sell items that until now existed only on television: Buzz Cola, KrustyO's cereal and Squishees, the slushy drink knockoff of Slurpees.
It's all part of a campaign to hype next month's opening of "The Simpsons Movie," the big-screen debut for the long-running television cartoon, which loves to lampoon 7-Eleven as a store that sells all kinds of unhealthy snacks and is run by a man with a thick Indian accent.
For 20th Century Fox Film Corp. and Homer's creators at Gracie Films, the stunt is a cheap way to call attention to their movie, since 7-Eleven is bearing all the costs, which executives of the retail chain put at somewhere in the single millions.
At 7-Eleven, they're hoping it shows the ubiquitous chain has a trait seen in few corporations -- the ability to laugh at themselves.
That is one of the most dismal 7-Elevens there is. I wonder if Bobby "Snake" Jailbird will rob the place?gleam wrote:Someone on yelp says it's on Pratt near the red line.
It happened!clogoodie wrote:What, no Duff?
BrendanR wrote:It happened!clogoodie wrote:What, no Duff?
http://www.lardlad.com/assets/articles/article12.html
Sometimes, a can or two shows up on ebay. I'd love to have one.