• by Karl Greenberg , August 14, 2009

Convenience-store brand 7-Eleven is atop the turnbuckles this month to promote World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) 2009 SummerSlam pay-per-view event. The company is selling collectible cups, running WWE-themed contests, airing commercials featuring a stable of wrestlers for the event, and getting media space in WWE properties.

In-store elements include five collectible 44-ounce Super Big Gulp cups with shots of WWE grapplers John Cena, Triple H, Edge, Undertaker and WWE "Diva" Kelly Kelly. The chain's foot-long submarine sandwich is being called the "SummerSlam Sub" this month, and 7-Eleven is changing the name of its summer meal-deal to the "3-Count" Meal Deal for $2.99.

Angela Carrales, senior director, marketing at 7-Eleven, tells Marketing Daily that, as a presenting sponsor of SummerSlam, 7-Eleven is also featured in all of the promo pay-per-view and TV spots, print ads, program guides, and in-arena signage for SummerSlam. "We partnered with the WWE, and they produced a TV spot for us [starring Kelly Kelly] to promote our collectible Super Big Gulp cups," she says.

Media cross-promotions include on-air radio contests dangling merchandise and tickets to WWE matches. Also, WWE will run 7-Eleven co-branded ads across its media, including WWE.com and WWE magazine.

Carrales says that included in the September issue of the WWE magazine, exclusive to 7-Eleven customers, is an autographed poster of Jeff Hardy. The magazine will be sold in 7-Eleven stores the week of Aug. 16.

"The SummerSlam promotion made sense for 7-Eleven because our customer and the WWE fan base lined up perfectly in terms of demographics and psychographic core values," says Carrales. "We leveraged the power of the WWE to showcase our proprietary products like Big Gulp and SummerSlam Subs as well as to bring new customers into our stores with exclusive merchandise."

She says that for several years now 7-Eleven's marketing strategy has been to identify properties that are relevant to customers. "We use these properties to drive trial and purchase of our proprietary food and beverages." Integrated promotions that feature 7-Eleven proprietary products, exclusive licensed merchandise, custom online content and sweepstakes differentiates 7-Eleven from the competitors. "7-Eleven is a globally recognized brand," Carrales says. "By associating with major, well-known and popular properties that are highly relevant to our customer, we keep 7-Eleven fresh in their minds."