7-ELEVEN :: It started this morning when my roommate said, “Today is my mom’s birthday and that means it’s 7/11. You know you can get a free Slurpee at any 7-Eleven today? Isn’t that neat?”

I ended up spending this afternoon playing kickball with 8 kids. It was the greatest game of kickball I’ve played in a very longtime, but that’s not the point. The point is: Can you think of a better way to end an afternoon of kickball than with free Slurpees? (well, other than ALL that sugar!)

So we piled in the car and headed for 7-Eleven. Several of the kids had never had a Slurpee or even been to 7-Eleven.  Thus, the car ride was spent defining “Slurpee” and “7-Eleven the convenience store vs. 7/11 the date.” When we arrived there was a sign posted on the door, “Sorry we ran out of free Slurpee cups, we’ve given away over 1,000 Slurpees today.” At this point, I could not disappoint 8 eager kiddos, so we made a grand entrance into the store and purchased 8 Slurpees. I should note, the 7-Eleven was packed with people drawn by the allure of free Slurpees. The word FREE is amazingly powerful.

I wish I could have been in the meeting at 7-Eleven when some genius marketer said, “What if we celebrate our birthday on July 7^th every year and give away free Slurpees?” Whoever you are, you should know I think you’re brilliant.

I am realizing these days that not everyone is fascinated by marketing and branding in the same way I am. Don’t get me wrong I ask my fair share of questions about consumer culture etc., but for some reason I am so excited and even inspired by these fun (and very smart + profitable – see the article I posted below) tactics.

So for today, I must say, well done 7-Eleven: I’ve had Slurpees on the mind since I woke up today. I didn’t even get a free one, but I did pay for 8 of them. Not only that, but I introduced and educated about the infamous Slurpee to a handful of young, new customers helping to create a new generation of nostalgic brand enthusiasts, AND now here I am writing and posting pictures about it for all of the interweb!

Mt. Rainier :: View at the top of a lovely hike up Bandera Mountain