CHICAGO -- 7-Eleven Inc. and FreshWorks took home the Promotional Marketing Association's 2008 "Super Reggie" award, for the Simpsons Kwik-E-Mart campaign. Last July, 7-Eleven transformed 12 of its stores into Kwik-E-Marts, the fictitious convenience store made famous on Fox's The Simpsons and featured in Twentieth Century Fox's The Simpsons Movie. The Kwik-E-Mart campaign also won two Gold Reggie Awards and one Silver Reggie Award.
As The Simpsons Movie was headed to theaters as one of the most anticipated summer releases of 2007, FreshWorks—created by advertising agency Omnicom [image-nocss] Group to serve 7-Eleven exclusively—partnered 7-Eleven with Fox Studios and Gracie Films to convert the stores into Kwik-E-Marts. Wherever a Kwik-E-Mart reference made sense, a new element was created. The Slurpee beverage was temporarily changed to "Squishee," and new Sprinklicious Donuts filled bakery cases. Manufacturing partners were enlisted to create products like Buzz cola, KrustyO's brand cereal and Radioactive Man comic books (Issue No. 711).
"Each year, the PMA Reggie Awards honors some of the most creative, well-executed, results-driven integrated marketing campaigns," said Bonnie Carlson, president of the PMA. "FreshWorks and 7-Eleven delivered the largest-scale promotion to hit the convenience retail channel, and the first ever, real-life Simpsons experience. It is fitting that they got to take home the 72-lb. cash register Super Reggie Award for a campaign that made the cash registers ring."
The award was presented Wednesday night at the group's 25th anniversary Reggie Awards ceremony in Chicago. The Reggie Awards are dedicated to recognizing superior thinking, creativity, execution and results across the entire spectrum of promotion and integrated marketing. The name of the award is derived from "cash register." The Super Reggie is awarded to the overall “Best of Show” from the Gold Reggie winners.
[Pictured (left to right): Bobbi Merkel, director of convergence at FreshWorks; Rita Bargerhuff, vice president of marketing at 7-Eleven; Lynda Oliver, general manager of FreshWorks; Rita Drucker, vice president of domestic theatrical promotions at Twentieth Century FOX.]
Click hereto view 7-Eleven's winning Super Reggie entry.Click hereto view a list of all winners.
For CSP Daily News coverage of Dallas-based 7-Eleven's Kwik-E-Mart promotion, click here.
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