Boogie Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 I should be doing something else... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetalHeart Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 (edited) For a month long period, select 7-Eleven locations will be transformed into.... KWIK-E-MARTS! aaaaaaaah!!!!! How awesome?! http://www.7-eleven.com/kem.asp Promotion turns 7-Eleven stores into 'Simpsons' Kwik-E-Marts 07/01/2007 By DAVID KOENIG / Associated Press 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. "We thought if you really want to do something different, the idea of actually changing stores into Kwik-E-Marts was over the top but a natural," said Bobbi Merkel, an executive for of 7-Eleven's advertising agency, FreshWorks, a unit of Omnicom Group Inc. "It shows they get the joke." The monthlong promotion has been rumored a long time — it's hard to keep a secret known by so many suppliers and franchisees — but 7-Eleven managed to keep the locations of the stores quiet until early Sunday morning. That's when the exteriors of 11 U.S. stores and one in Canada were flocked in industrial foam and given new signs to replicate the animated look of Kwik-E-Marts. The U.S. locations where a 7-Eleven store was transformed into a Kwik-E-Mart are New York City; Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Burbank, Calif.; Los Angeles; Henderson, Nev.; Orlando, Fla.; Mountain View, Calif.; Seattle; and Bladensburg, Md. The idea grew out of conversations between Fox and 7-Eleven's advertising agency. "We wanted to make sure the movie stands out as a true cultural event this summer," said Lisa Licht, a marketing vice president at Fox. "It has to stand out from other summer movies and TV shows." The Fox/7-Eleven deal is an example of a practice called reverse product placement. Instead of just putting products prominently in a movie or TV show, fake goods move from the screen to reality. In some cases, 7-Eleven has contracted with manufacturers of similar products to make their Kwik-E-Mart counterparts. Malt-O-Meal, the Northfield, Minn., cereal maker, will conjure up a recipe for KrustyO's, for example. In others, existing products will simply be renamed. 7-Eleven's own Slurpee will be sold as a Squishee for the month. Other recent examples of reverse product placement include Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, which spun out of the Harry Potter books and movies, and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurants, which opened after the movie "Forrest Gump." 7-Eleven has done other movie-themed promotions, including one this spring for the latest Spiderman installment. After Fox pitched a 7-Eleven tie-in last year, representatives from the studio, the stores, and Gracie Films — including Simpsons creator Matt Groening and executive producer James L. Brooks, met in Los Angeles to kick around ideas. Brooks added one — holding a contest to let one fan be drawn into a future episode of the TV show. 7-Eleven executives loved the idea. They had surveys showing a strong overlap between their customers and fans of the show — both tend to be young and male. It sounded like cash registers ringing. "They've been looking at Squishees and KrustyO's and Buzz Cola for years and have never been able to put their hands on it," said Merkel, the advertising executive. But they won't find Duff beer, the brand chugged by Homer Simpson. The movie will be rated PG-13, and selling a Simpson-themed beer "didn't seem to fit," said Rita Bargerhuff, a 7-Eleven marketing executive. "That was a tough call, but we want to make sure it's considered good, responsible fun." Bargerhuff predicted extra sales to Simpsons fans will more than offset the cost of the promotion and create new customers for the chain. She also said the chain is prepared for crowds and will have extra security and clerks at the Kwik-E-Marts. The promotion, however, is not risk-free. The proprietor of Kwik-E-Mart is a man named Apu who speaks in a heavy Indian accent. He is based on a manager Groening encountered while shopping at a 7-Eleven in Los Angeles nearly 20 years ago and plays to stereotypes about convenience-store operators and Asian immigrants. Many of 7-Eleven's franchisees are Indian, company officials say, although they say they don't track exact numbers. Bargerhuff said they were "overwhelmingly positive" after hearing of the Kwik-E-Mart idea, but "it was not a 100 percent endorsement." "There was definitely a concern of offending people," she said. "But they seemed to understand that 'The Simpsons' makes fun of everybody. The vast majority saw this as a great opportunity." That's the case for Kumar Assandas, a 28-year-old franchisee whose parents immigrated from India. His store in suburban Las Vegas is one of the temporary Kwik-E-Marts. "I know it's a stereotype, but it doesn't bother me. Everybody knows it's a joke," Assandas said. "I'm a big Simpsons fan myself, and maybe subconsciously it even inspired me to become a 7-Eleven owner." Edited July 2, 2007 by MetalHeart to add words! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alive she cried Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 reach out and touch someone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soldier of fortune Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 gotta love my editing of the Hondo's Irish Chapter WIki Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ganny McVagflaps Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Dear Nick, I met Talib Kweli. Whatcha gonna do about it? TMcM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aartemys Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aartemys Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 I just got a text message from MH... Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! She's soooooooooooooo cute! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetalHeart Posted July 4, 2007 Share Posted July 4, 2007 On a completely random topic: Do you know who is the cutest EVAR? yup. Aarty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetalHeart Posted July 4, 2007 Share Posted July 4, 2007 My heart is in FL right now. Seriously! I love you guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the division of joy Posted July 4, 2007 Share Posted July 4, 2007 18 hours of sleep is always fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aartemys Posted July 4, 2007 Share Posted July 4, 2007 she said I'm going out with my girlfriends Marguerita's at the holiday inn Oh have mercy my only thought Was tequila makes her clothes fall off I told her put an extra layer on I know what happens when she drinks patron? Her closets missing half the things she bought Yea tequila makes her clothes fall off She'll start by kicking out of her shoes Lose an earring in her drink Leave her jacket in the bathroom stall Drop a contact down the sink Them panty hose aint gonna last too long If the DJ puts Bon Jovi on She might come home in a table cloth Yea tequila makes her clothes fall off She can handle any champagne brunch A bridal shower with Bacardi punch Jello shooters full of Smirnoff But tequila makes her clothes fall off She'll start by kicking out of her shoes Lose an earring in her drink Leave her jacket in the bathroom stall Drop a contact down the sink She don't mean nothing She just havin fun Tomorrow she say oh what have I done Her friends will joke about the stuff she lost Yea tequila makes her clothes fall off Oh tequila makes her clothes fall off Oh tequila makes her clothes fall off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crimsonfire Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Sure an orgy sounds great but you're just basically just multiplying the number of people youre not going to be able to look in the eye afterwards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aartemys Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Since no one has mentioned it at all today... Happy 4th of July!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the division of joy Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 me and CF were gonna make an "its a celebration bitches" thread in town square about small hondonian drunken meet ups that fly below the radar in aid of the day today... but he thogh thought it was pretentious fuck him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aartemys Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance Broward Ctr for the Perf Arts Au Rene Theatre, Ft Lauderdale, FL Thu, Mar 6, 2008 08:00 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the division of joy Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 ugh.. every time i belch i can taste the jack daniels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the division of joy Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alive she cried Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 the above image si supposed to make you sick. it did fuck all to me, but apologies if you get sick all over your computer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the division of joy Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 ASC, that gave me a headache, but no vomit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alive she cried Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 (edited) I can't remember if i've posted this before. if i have so be it http://view.break.com/321458 - Watch more free videos Edited July 5, 2007 by alive she cried Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alive she cried Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soldier of fortune Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 fucking weather man, jesus, where are you summer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the division of joy Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aartemys Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alive she cried Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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