7-Eleven Signs 18 Sports Sponsorships
7-Eleven is playing sports hard this year as part of its local marketing strategy.
The retailer has signed multi-year sponsorships of 18 sports organizations, including individual teams within the NFL, MLB and NBA. 7-Eleven said it would use the sponsorships as a platform to develop new, local menu items and for local promotions.
The local-sports strategy complements 7-Eleven’s slate of national promotions built on movie tie-ins. 7-Eleven will do an even bigger collection of film tie-ins this summer, building on its initial tie-ins last summer with X-Men: The Last Stand and other films. Movies and sports are the first- and second-choice of 7-Eleven’s core audience of young men, a spokesperson said.
7-Eleven will leverage its new sports team and venue sponsorships, which range from two to five years, by distributing coupons for 7-Eleven fresh food and drinks at sporting events.
That helps expand 7-Eleven’s fledgling “Retailer Initiative” program that lets franchisees set merchandising based on local preferences (May 2006 PROMO).
Now, using team tie-ins, franchisees can develop fresh-food menu items that cater to local tastes. Dallas-based 7-Eleven reorganized its foodservice operations last fall, appointing regional directors who work with regional suppliers, such as bakeries and commissaries, to put local favorites on store menus.
“These local sports sponsorships reflect 7-Eleven’s Retailer Initiative strategy that focuses on merchandising and developing new fresh foods to meet taste preferences of various regions of the country where we have stores,” said Doug Foster, 7-Eleven’s vice president of marketing, in a statement.
Sports promotions vary by market, from halftime and game-night contests to street team sponsorships and store appearances by players, cheerleaders or mascots. 7-Eleven will host pep rallies and tail-gate parties, participate in team charity events, and give away co-branded premiums and products with 7-Eleven’s and teams’ logos. Stores will give away pocket-sized team schedules.
Local TV and radio ads, signage in sports venues, and presence on teams’ Web sites round out its activation of the sponsorship deals.
Local sponsorships also let 7-Eleven tie marketing and p.r. efforts to local ads and charity tie-ins, Foster said. In exchange, each team gets visibility in its local stores.
“The teams recognize the commonality and benefits as well. Not only will we have visibility at their venues, but we also will ensure that each team has opportunities to reach their fans through our stores,” Foster said. “Our research shows that one of the top ways our core customers spend their leisure time is attending or watching sports events. “I can’t think of a better way to reach them than to support their hometown team and favorite past-time.”
The deals, negotiated individually, include eight NFL teams (Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Oakland Raiders); four NBA teams (Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat); and three MLB teams (Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees).
7-Eleven also expanded its motor sports activities via deals with the Texas Motor Speedway and the Honda Grand Prix in St. Petersburg, FL. The retailer has sponsored Indy Racing League driver Tony Kanaan for four years. Terms weren’t disclosed for any of the deals. 7-Eleven negotiated directly with teams and venues, with regional marketing director John Moritz and his assistant, Marcy Rushing, taking the lead. 7-Eleven handles most activation in-house with an assist from various p.r. shops. PromoWorks, Schaumburg, IL, handles couponing at events.
