• by Todd Wasserman , Staff Writer, July 12, 2022

Monday, July 11, was 7-11 Day, and the chain that bears that name held its first 7-11 celebration at 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes stores.

As part of the promotion, the chain offered customers 11 days to receive a free small Slurpee drink via its 7Rewards loyalty program. The celebration included a limited-time mystery flavor called “What the Fanta.”

Brands have long sought to brand days in their honor. On July 7, Seagrams 7 celebrated National Dive Bar Day. That date was also National Macaroni Day, National Father-Daughter Take a Walk Day and National Strawberry Sundae Day.

Every day, it seems there’s a national celebration of one thing or another. Today, July 12, is Cow Appreciation Day, Eat Your Jello Day and National Pecan Pie Day, among others.

So as a brand, it’s very difficult to “own” a day. The best example is probably Amazon Prime Day, which is actually a two-day event occurring July 12 and 13. Amazon deals include 45% to 50% off Amazon Fire TVs and Toshiba TVs, and up to 55% off Amazon devices including Kindle Paperwhite, Amazon Glow and Echo Show.

Amazon Prime Day, now a regular part of the marketing calendar, started in 2015, just before Amazon’s 20^th birthday, to offer Black Friday-style deals for Prime subscribers, per Amazon.

The event was an immediate hit, as customers bought more items on the first Prime Day than they did on Black Friday 2014, again per Amazon. In 2019, Prime Day became a two-day affair and other retailers, including Target, jumped in to offer Target Deal Days.

Though other brands, like 7-Eleven, have tried to launch a branded day to celebrate themselves, so far Amazon’s is by far the most successful.