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.

Comments

Thank you, come again.

[gravos]

Thank you, come again.

Re:Thank you, come again.

[Wicked Zen]

Who needs the Quik-E-Mart?

I dooooooooooooooooo...

Re:Thank you, come again.

[ShieldW0lf]

In other news, Disney World has degenerated into Itchy and Scratchy land, and MacDonalds has decided to rebrand themselves to the more authentic "Krusty Burger" corporate image.

Honesty is the first halting step on the road to integrity. Maybe all this is a good sign.

Not the first time.

[Whiney Mac Fanboy]

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.

Re:Not the first time.

[G-funk]

I collect beers, and have a full can of Duff... That, my Darwin Stubby (they still make them), and an old tin XXXX from god knows when (it's in flOz) are my faves. All full too. I've got mates who drank a few cartons of Duff when it was available, they're not real happy about that. 'Specially since it wasn't really good :)

Re:Not the first time.

[ultracool]

In Dunedin, New Zealand (where I live), we have McDuff's beer. There is a brewery and everything. It used to be just Duff, but after a legal dispute with Fox, they wound up changing the name.

Re:Not the first time.

[Dachannien]

Why would the film rating have a bearing on whether or not the Kwik-E-Mart shops sell Duff beer?

For the same reason that Joe Camel doesn't sell cigarettes anymore.

Re:Not the first time.

[mgblst]

It is about collecting things. Collectors usually prefer unopened items (like those star wars figures - they are worth more when they are still in their plastic containers).

{RANT ON}
Personally I hate collectors. My gf dad is a big one. It is a pretty big indication of how selfish and greedy we are in the west, that we prize this stupid old crap, and artificially inflate the value of trash like this. As you say, the beer would have gone of. I see collecting more as a psychological disease. A sickness that comes about from having too much money and space. A disease of the wealth.

{/RANT ON}

Re:Not the first time.

[Bob54321]

And the kegs of McDuff are quite inexpensive... The brewery was named after the owner whos last name was Duff. I think it was around before the Simpsons but the guy couldn't be bothered fighting with Fox. Fox paid for the rebranding though.

Photos

[fabioaquotte]

Several photos available here: http://flickr.com/photos/rdr07/sets/72157600590001 691/with/686842536/

Re:Photos

[Your.Master]

Springfield is very specifically not placed in any given state. Groening has admitted it bears some particular resemblance to Portland, but canonical references can rule out absolutely every location on Earth. Frankly, I see a lot of similarity with my homeland in Southern Ontario, and I'm not the first to suggest it (despite the obvious problems like it's the wrong country, the nuclear plants are the wrong design, etc.). Winnipeg also gets honourable mention from Groening. The Springfield of the Simpsons is Everytown, USA.

Re:Photos

[Yusaku Godai]

Not to mention, there's a scene in the trailer for the movie that made me burst into laughter.

Bart and Flanders are climbing to the top of some mountain, and Flanders says something like "From up here you can see the four states that border Springfield: Ohio, Nevada, Maine, and Kentucky."

I think that pretty much closes the issue.

Can you get...

[dangitman]

Chutney Squishees?

But not the last

[mcrbids]

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?

Re:But not the last

[DarkOx]

Also 7-11 is a well know and generally well thought of brands. Most advertisers would consider elevating any trademark to the level of recognition the 7-11 has a huge success. Until you know that people would rather shop at Kwik-E-Mart why would you abandon a valuable asset like the 7-11 mark? Also 7-11 is in may ways part of our popular culture as well, if you simply make it go away all at once on day people might be resentful of that.

YEs but, any skittlebrow?

[Man in Spandex]

Homer Simpson: I'm feeling kind of low, Apu. Got any of that beer that has candy floating in it? You know, Skittlebrau.

Let's go for full reality

[geoff lane]

Oh, I'm totally going to hold one up.

Re:Let's go for full reality

[TurboStar]

And I'll be there with the "HA HA" when you get busted.

WTF? Where's the angle?

[saintm]

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.

NOT the first time it's happened

[ajs318]

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.

Krusty-branded goods already exist

[Ed Avis]

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...

Authenticity?

[riker1384]

Are they going so far as including the expired, re-labled milk, and band-aids on the hot dogs?

Re:Will Kwik-E-Marts now be banned from the cartoo

[EveryNickIsTaken]

Uh, no. In fact, most cartoon shows are created nowadays solely for the subsequent merchandising possibilities.

Canadian store location?

[Yvan256]

That's when the exteriors of 11 U.S. stores and one in Canada were flocked in industrial foam and given new signs to replicate the animated look of Kwik-E-Marts.

The U.S. locations where a 7-Eleven store was transformed into a Kwik-E-Mart are New York City; Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Burbank, Calif.; Los Angeles; Henderson, Nev.; Orlando, Fla.; Mountain View, Calif.; Seattle; and Bladensburg, Md.

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.

Re:How to cash in on a satire

[russotto]

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?