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STUDENTS
LOCAL
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Editorial/Our View
The Real Fake Thing
7-Eleven uses new promotion to generate movie buzz
Who needs the Kwik-E-Mart? We do. Last week’s transformation
of a dozen 7-Elevens into the fictional convenience store is not only
brilliant but also a relief to see marketing our generation can embrace.
Instead of the standard gimmicks like toys, action figures and commercials,
7-Eleven’s approach seems only natural for The Simpsons Movie, which
comes out July 27. The long-running series has become part of American
pop culture and has produced a cult following of fans young and old.
In a show of self-mockery, Kwik-E-Marts around the country come complete
with banners stating such phrases as, “Thank you for loitering,
please come again,” and “First Bank of Springfield: Misplacing
decimal points since 194.5.”
Transforming the stores cost the company in the single millions, but fans
visiting the Dallas Kwik-E-Mart at West Northwest Highway can see that
the move might work.
With the parking lot filled to capacity last week, visitors were anxious
to roam the aisles just like Homer, Bart, Marge and of course, Apu.
The Kwik-E-Mart is a knockoff of 7-Eleven, selling Squishees — a
variation of the cold Slurpee concoction — Buzz Cola, KrustyO’s
cereal and other overpriced, unhealthy snacks normally found at any 7-Eleven.
Remember when Bart and his friend Milhouse purchased a super Squishee
— made entirely from syrup — and begin to have hallucinations?
Or when James Woods worked at the Kwik-E-Mart for a week? Or the episode
where Marge is arrested for shoplifting Grampa’s bottle of bourbon?
It’s scenes like these that will probably be on the minds of Kwik-E-Mart
patrons.
Although you can still purchase a Squishee, or even a “Radioactive
Man” comic book at any nearby 7-Eleven, including the one on Center
Street, it’s still worth it to make the pilgrimage to the “real”
Kwik-E-Mart in Dallas.
Simply put, it’s like going to a theme park, only you don’t
have to pay admission and you might get the chance of getting salmonella
from eating discounted expired ham.
“Woo hoo! Cheap meat!”
EDITORIAL ROUNDUP
The issue:
A real life Kwik-E-Mart has set a new precedent in promotional marketing.
We suggest:
Dallas-Fort Worth residents should take a trip to the Dallas Kwik-E-Mart
and enjoy a Squishee or box of KrustyO’s cereal.
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