President Obama jokingly told a Bloomberg reporter on Wednesday that he might serve America's favorite drink, the Slurpee, during an upcoming meeting with the [image-nocss] incoming House Speaker, Ohio Representative John Boehner (R) and referred to Slurpee as "a very delicious drink."
"We are not surprised by President Obama's comments about Slurpee, which is non-partisan and has been bringing people together for more than 40 years," 7-Eleven president and CEO Joe DePinto said in a press statement. "We have made an offer to the White House to install Slurpee machines and to host a Slurpee Summit."
To further commemorate President Obama's mention, 7-Eleven also is offering to install Slurpee machines at the White House and in Boehner's office on Capitol Hill.
"This is a rare opportunity for a brand," Margaret Chabris, a spokesperson for Dallas-based 7-Eleven, told the newspaper. "We don't want to be opportunistic, but nothing has ever been this big for Slurpee."
This is what brands dream about, said the report. Bud Light got a big PR lift after Obama drank a Bud Light at the White House "Beer Summit" in July 2009. That brought together Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and James Crowley, the police sergeant who arrested him.
During recent campaign speeches, Obama said Republicans stood around drinking Slurpees while Democrats did the hard legislative work. Now, Slurpee's getting the last laugh, the report added.
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Already in motion, according to the report:
Negotiations. Officials representing 7-Eleven contacted White House officials late Wednesday with a proposal to cater a Slurpee Summit between key Democrats and Republicans. The summit could be at the White House, or wherever the president chooses.
"If the president wants a Slurpee Summit, we're offering to cater it with red and blue Slurpees--and we'll even offer a purple Slurpee, since that's what you get when you bring red and blue together," Chabris said.
7-Eleven's request to the White House was made via the public relations firm New Partners, which has many employees who worked on the Obama campaign in 2008, said the report.
Advertising. 7-Eleven today is placing an ad in national newspapers that plays off the idea of Slurpees bringing people together, said Chabris. One concept in discussion is a picture of a purple Slurpee with a red straw and a blue straw sticking out.
Strategy. Slurpee is re-evaluating its brand strategy. It is looking at a new theme to be a drink that "brings people together," Chabris said.
In addition to offering to host a Slurpee Summit, the Slurpee Trucks will leave Dallas Friday for Washington, D.C., and share the "delicious drink" with the American people along the way.Click here for details.The tour is making stops at capitol cities along the way. Slurpee fans can show their patriotic colors by trying or mixing a red, white or blue Slurpee drink or show their unity by choosing a new flavor, "Purple for the People.""If they actually have a summit, it's worth tens of millions of dollars in free advertising," consultant David Aaker told USA Today.
Strategy guru Mark Coopersmith said Slurpee should quickly go big in social media, nudging folks to have Slurpee Summits to solve problems. "How often do you get the leader of the free world to associate your brand with all of these positive elements?", he told the paper.
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