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Some 7-11s Become Kwik-E-Marts
caffiend666 writes "According to a Yahoo News story some 7-11s are being rebranded into Simpsons 'Kwik-E-Marts' . The makeover includes fronting on the buildings that make it look like a cartoon, Simpsons merchandise on the shelves, and Simpsons show brands available for purchase in the store. From the article: 'The Fox/7-Eleven deal is an example of a practice called reverse product placement. Instead of just putting products prominently in a movie or TV show, fake goods move from the screen to reality ... Customers have been looking at Squishees and KrustyO's and Buzz Cola for years and have never been able to put their hands on it.' Since the film is PG-13, no Duff beer will be available in the stores." If you're looking for one near you, 7-11 has the list of locations on their website.
Thank you, come again.
This game will waste your life. Don't clicky!
Although this time is sanctioned, its not the first time Simpsons products have made it into real life. About 10 years ago, an Australian brewery started brewing Duff beer. Fox sued, the beer was pulled.
Anyone who managed to get their hands on some Duff were lucky. Empty beer cans went for $20 or more on ebay.
There are shills on slashdot. Apparently, I'm one of them.
Several photos available here: http://flickr.com/photos/rdr07/sets/72157600590001 691/with/686842536/
Fabio Aquotte
Chutney Squishees?
... and then they built the supercollider.
Seriously, folks...
Why DOESN'T 7-11 become Kwik-E mart? Nationwide? It would turn the gazillions of shows that will be on independent TV stations and YouTube for the next 30 years into walking, talking, joking advertisements for a nationwide, popular chain! And, it would turn a nationwide chain of convenience stores into a real-life, living, touch-it advertisement for one of the most popular TV show franchises ever!
Pacific Bell became SBC which became ATT in less than 5 years. Somehow, the company has maintained its identity throughout. So why can't a well-off nationwide chain like 7-11? If they rebranded some generic beer (think Miller) as "Duff Beer", it'd be a shoe-in!
I love the Simpsons, it's been an indelible part of our family culture for years. Seriously - why not?
I have no problem with your religion until you decide it's reason to deprive others of the truth.
Homer Simpson: I'm feeling kind of low, Apu. Got any of that beer that has candy floating in it? You know, Skittlebrau.
...I wrote "Duff" on the side of a Budweiser can once.
This is a first, and you're making insipid comments to karma whore. I'm calling shenanigans.
Oh, I'm totally going to hold one up.
I demand this story is changed to add in some sort of link to the iPhone.
It sticks out like a sore thumb without one.
Actually, the first time this happened was in the UK.
Way back in 1992 or 1993 or thereabouts (sometime between Tracey Langton going upstairs to get a book and coming back down following an apparent head transplant), there was a fictitious supermarket called "Bettabuy" in Coronation Street, managed by Reg Holdsworth. The scenes were filmed on location in a branch of Morrisons. Morrisons launched a range of "economy" products (you know; the ones that are packaged to look like UN disaster relief, in the hope that you'll find a few extra pennies to rub together and buy something that doesn't mark you out to the checkout operator and all the other customers in the store as either a miser or a pov) under the name "Bettabuy" in honour of this.
It somehow managed to slip under the radar (product placement is illegal on British telly, even on the stations which accept advertisements; quiz shows are not allowed to announce the names of the sponsors of their prizes, and even mentioning specific brand names is frowned upon) probably because the product being advertised was one that people would actively avoid if given the choice.
Je fume. Tu fumes. Nous fûmes!
A few years back there was a Krusty Kola in real life, with the slogan 'nine out of ten kids can't tell the difference!'. It wasn't a commercial success, perhaps because its deliberately sick-looking yellow-green colour was too much for most children to handle...
-- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
Are they going so far as including the expired, re-labled milk, and band-aids on the hot dogs?
They may have shot themselves it the foot on this one. Dunno about the US, but here in the UK we have strict rules about product placement, particularly in programs aimed at children. Now that they've made all these products real, would they be banned from showing them in the show, in the same way thay they cannot show real beers / colas / etc ?
What does the movie being PG-13 have to do with being able to sell Duff related beer?
The other day I bought a slurpee er.. squishiee and realized that the cup actually said "Squishiee" on it. First I thought Imy sleepy eyes were playing tricks on me, but nope, it was there and I just HAD to sing the song. Who needs a Guik-E-Mart? I doooooooo!!!
The eternal struggle of good vs. evil begins within one's self.
Uh... I'd tend to say that Kwik-Es has far more in common with 7-11's and other gas station convienence stores than they do with a supersized box store such as walmart. Small, overpriced, with an extremely limited selection of a somewhat wide variety of goods.
Krusty products are availabe in stores other than the Kwik-Es.
I don't read AC A human right
Uh, no. In fact, most cartoon shows are created nowadays solely for the subsequent merchandising possibilities.
Sprawl-Mart is the dig on Wal-Mart.
See the similarity?
Doh! There's also a Shelbyville and a Springfield in Michigan! And they are only 50 miles apart.
d dr=Springfield,+MI&daddr=Shelbyville,+Allegan,+Mic higan,+United+States&sll=41.197365,-87.639245&sspn =5.496636,10.283203&ie=UTF8&z=10&om=1
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&sa
You can't be ahead of the curve, if you're stuck in a loop.
You moved your mouse. Please restart Windows for changes to take effect.
Oh yeah, no need to tell us the location of the Canadian store because, you know, all we have to do is ask Steve. He lives in Canada, and it's such a small place that everybody knows about everything.
I was quoted out of context in my autobiography...
It is. And it wouldn't be funny, except at some time in our lives, we have all encountered someone like Apu. And, I'll admit, I accept any offense given my the stereotype as retribution for the economics TA I had in college ("I am not believing that you have all failed this exam so badly!").
There are stereotypes everywhere in comedy - if you don't like it, don't watch. It's not like anybody really comes out looking good in the Simpsons. Except maybe Lisa, but nobody makes fun of smart, well adjusted girls. Except other girls, of course, and that's not the Simpson's demographic, afaict.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
One of my earliest mentors in OSS, Perl hacking, and the guy who tuyrned me onto Slashdot, etc. owns the domain spfld.com. His name is (FOR REAL) Apu and he has (FOR REAL) a brother named Sanjay, he lives in (FOR REAL) Springfield, NJ not far from the (FOR REAL) Kwik-Stop convenience store. Yes, it is in fact destiny!e st.htm
He's a great human being, volunteering his time as a Rescue Squad Captain, donating his talents to schools and such and was even a volunteer at 9/11 - truly a guy who deserves a helping hand from us! Anyway, there's a contest open to all the Springfields in the US and I'm wondering if fellow dotters could help my buddy out? Here's his email below:
Hi,
You may have heard that the Simpson's Movie is coming out this summer. It will open nationwide on July 27th. But, on July 26th, the movie will premiere in Springfield.
Fox invited 14 of the 71 Springfields from across the U.S. to compete to be the one that hosts the premiere. And, yes, because we are the only true Springfield, we are going to win (with your help). Please vote - early and often - and then get your friends and family and their friends and family to vote too.... Springfield, New Jersey!
The contest site: http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/simpsons-cont
Media coverage of our entry: http://www.spfld.com/spfld.html#Simpsons
"Thank you. Come again."
-- Apu http://www.spfld.com/
--------------------
Thanks for reading and hope you'll vote for the REAL Apu in the REAL Sprignfield !
What 7-11 finally realized is that Kwik-E-Mart is not really a parody. It's an entirely realistic portrayal. So why not take advantage of it?
I'm waiting till Futurama's "Bachelor Chow" bags get shipped to my door.
Yeah, funny how nobody gets upset about all the white-guy stereotypes on the show - Homer, a fat lazy stupid slob, the doughnut-eating police chief (with pig-like upturned nose), the evil corporate boss, the corrupt politician mayor of the town, the quack doctor, televangelist ... guess they're funny until it hits too close to home, eh?