DALLAS -- 7-Eleven Inc. has announced the national rollout of AriZona Beverages and Shaquille O'Neal's new, all-natural line of Soda Shaq cream sodas. The convenience retailer is one of the few places in the country to get the 7-foot-1-inch basketball icon O'Neal's Soda Shaq beverages throughout the summer.
With huge social media followings on Twitter and Instagram, AriZona (@DrinkAriZona), Shaquille O'Neal (@SHAQ) and 7-Eleven (@7eleven) have reached an audience of almost 17 million fans who are now eager to get their hands on Soda Shaq, the company said.
The Soda Shaq Cream Soda line comes in four flavors including Vanilla, Blueberry, Strawberry and Orange. Soda Shaq contains no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. It is made with real Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract and pure cane sugar at 90 calories per serving.
In addition to the new cream sodas, 7-Eleven and AriZona invite fans to be on the lookout for a decal of Shaq's giant shoes in participating 7-Eleven stores across the country. The retailer is encouraging customers to "try it on for size" by placing their feet inside the MVP's Size 23 tracks, shooting a photo and uploading their photo with Shaq's decal on Twitter or Instagram using @drinkarizona and #sodashaq for a chance to win some sweet Shaq swag. Winners will be announced weekly over a 10-week period.
"If we're not thinking out of the box every day, someone's going to beat us," said AriZona Chairman Don Vultaggio. "Which is why AriZona and 7-Eleven are inviting fans to step out of the box and into Shaq's shoes. Anyone interested in seeing if they can fill the big man's Size 23 shoes should step up to the line."
Jesus Delgado-Jenkins, 7-Eleven executive vice president for merchandising, marketing, innovation and logistics, said, "We like to do things big at 7-Eleven, and you can't get any bigger than Shaq who's not only a giant in stature, but also in personality and popularity. We've scored big as the only convenience store and one of very few retailers to introduce these new sodas. But stay tuned. We have some other big Soda Shaq-centric offers coming up later this summer."
The Soda Shaq line is available in 23.5-ounce cans at a suggested retail price of 99 cents per can.
Founded in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1992, AriZona's mission is to offer top-quality beverages in uniquely designed packages that are accessible and affordable, it said.
Dallas-based 7-Eleven Inc. operates, franchises or licenses more than 10,100 7-Eleven stores in North America. Globally, 7-Eleven has approximately 50,700 stores in 16 countries. During 2012, 7-Eleven stores generated total worldwide sales of nearly $84.8 billion.
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