At 7-Eleven if the Shoe Fits Order it

 

The race is on to order you 7-Eleven X Crocs.  That’s right shoes / clogs branded for 7-Eleven enthusiast. Yes, it is where style meets the snack aisle with the all-new 7-Eleven X Crocs collaboration. The exclusive collection introduces three limited-edition styles, including Crocs' newest icon: the height-forward Mega Crush Clog. How is your brand edifying it relationship with consumers?

One thing is true you will not miss the 7-Eleven X Crocs collab reimagines Crocs’ as they are the most recognizable clog and sandal silhouettes, new style statements that celebrate the world’s largest convenience retailer, including:

·         7-Eleven X Crocs Mega Crush Clog ($110): This creative pair showcases 7-Eleven’s vibrant colors, an elevated heel and unique Jibbitz charms. (LAUNCHING TODAY) 

·         7-Eleven X Crocs Classic Clog ($70): Featuring a collection of crave-worthy 7-Eleven Jibbitz charms, customers will always feel stylish in these boldly striped icons.​(LAUCHING 11/7)

·         7-Eleven X Crocs Classic Sandal ($50): A unique take on the Classic Sandal, this pair splashes the clean and timeless colors of 7-Eleven across the stylish two-strap sandal and is adorned with customized 7-Eleven Jibbitz charms. (LAUNCHING 11/7)

 

Customized Jibbitz charms include the iconic 7-Eleven brand logo, the fan-favorite Slurpee drink, coffee, pizza, Big Bite Hot Dog and more. ​

Fans can get a first taste of this crave-worthy collection starting today at 12pm ET through September 22 at 12pm ET, by visiting www.crocs.com to enter the drawing for a chance to purchase a pair of the limited-edition 7-Eleven X Crocs Mega Crush Clogs. Fans will be notified if they've been selected, and quantities are limited to one pair per customer. 

The 7-Eleven X Crocs Classic Clog and Sandal styles will launch globally on November 7, inviting fans around the world to celebrate 11/7 (…get it?!) with 7-Eleven and Crocs.

Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideas look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how our Grocerant Guru® can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit: us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter

7-Eleven Brightens Up Walking

 

Summer time is outdoor time for most of us.  Getting away from the gym, getting outdoors and walking, hiking, or running being outdoors brightens our days.  7-Eleven has given everyone many reasons to get out and stop by their stores this summer including free Slurpee’s, Big Bites for a buck, and a chance now to win some bright outdoor apparel.

Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® thinks that 7-Eleven has the best summer branded food marking program in the United States.

At the intersection for branded food marketing and apparel we find 7-Eleven this summer helping fans feel hot and look cool this summer through the release of exclusive collaborations with popular snack and beverage brands. Customers who purchase participating products at 7-Eleven, Speedway or Stripes convenience stores will have the chance to win bespoke apparel and accessories that will take their wardrobes to an eleven.

Get this a few lucky sneakerheads in search of a "sole mate" can win a custom pair of unique shoes, including:

·         Slurpee x What the Fanta: Designed by Jake Danklefs of Dank & Co., these sneakers feature Slurpee drink branding and colorful shapes that mimic splashes of water.

·         7-Eleven x Dunkaroos: Customers who are nostalgic for the 90s will appreciate these sneakers, designed by creative agency partner Select and hand-painted by Tyler Wallach.They feature Fred, mascot for the brand's iconic frozen beverage, surrounded by confetti-style patterns.

·         Shoe Surgeon x Reese's: These sneakers are designed to be as irresistible as the candy itself. They feature orange-colored mesh panels, chocolate-hued sides and a peanut butter-toned ankle panel with a buttoned pocket.

Yes, there is more. customers visiting 7-Eleven will also have the chance to win a break dancing-inspired Red Bull BC One capsule featuring Fred. It comes complete with a hoodie, drawstring backpack and hat to encourage fans to dance their way through the summer. They can also add some spice to their lives with the Flamin' Hot x Braille collection, which features a crewneck sweatshirt, hat, skateboard and shoes with flame-printed shoelaces.

So, the collaborations are part of 7-Eleven's celebrations during "Brainfreeze Season," a time to hang loose, try new things, make unforgettable memories and take summer from a "10 to an Eleven," as Convenience Store News reported. All summer long, 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes c-stores are helping customers enjoy Brainfreeze Season by rewarding them with new prizes every Friday, among other festive initiatives.

Marissa Jarratt, 7-Eleven executive vice president and chief marketing officer, stated, "Brainfreeze Season is a time for us to help our customers quench their thirst for Slurpee drinks…music…and, of course, fashion," …. "We know our customers are always on the cutting edge of culture and style, and are looking for ways to get even closer to the brands they love — so what better way to reward our loyal fans than with these one-of-a-kind designs?"

Here is how it works, to get a chance to win, 7-Eleven, Speedway or Stripes customers must purchase select items through the 7Rewards and Speedy Rewards loyalty programs or via 7NOW delivery.

Participating beverage and snack products include Big Gulp fountain beverages, Slurpee drinks, Red Bull, Fanta, Reese's, Dunkaroos, all Doritos, Ruffles and Cheetos varieties, and more. Additionally, when customers purchase the product featured on their 7-Eleven and Speedway app each week, they will earn double entries for double the chance to win.

So, for more details on how fashionistas can land the hottest looks of the summer are available at 7-Eleven.com/Catch-The-Collab, by downloading the 7-Eleven and Speedway apps from the App Store or Google Play, or by visiting 7Rewards.com or SpeedyRewards.com.

For international corporate presentations, regional chain presentations, educational forums, or keynotes contact: Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions.  His extensive experience as a multi-unit restaurant operator, consultant, brand / product positioning expert, and public speaking will leave success clues for all. For more information visit GrocerantGuru.com, FoodserviceSolutions.US or call 1-253-759-7869

Large Branded Foodservice Companies are More Vulnerable Today Than Ever Before

Pizza Hut has sold Football Shoes, Taco Bell has a hotel, McDonald’s sells more toys than any other retailer in the world and Coca Cola clothing can be see just about everyday in every country of the world. Recently, the chief marketing officers (CMOs) of these big consumer goods companies have achieved phenomenal success in recent years. They achieved the marketing holy grail of embedding their brands at the center of their consumers’ everyday lives and built titan reputations in the process.

The consumers are about to change all of that according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  While large legacy consumer brands that have long set the standards for the industry are no longer untouchable.  Today consumers are evolving faster than the most legacy brands is search of the next big thing, flavour, or meal and the uncurrent of brand discontent is rising.

Laura Gurski is senior managing director of Accenture's consumer goods and services practice and oversees the development and delivery of marketing, customer service, commerce and sales transformation services she recently wrote an article focused on:  Looking Beyond the Marketing Basics here is some of what she had to say that we found important:

“But being brilliant at the basics won’t be enough in the long run. A different approach from the CMO is now required to support a “living business”—one that can sense and respond to fluctuating consumer and market demands. And corporate leaders increasingly expect more from the marketing function. Accenture’s research shows 52% of consumer goods CEOs now hold their CMOs responsible for driving disruptive growth.

So CMOs must find a way to free themselves from their organizational shackles and devote more of their time to creating new relevance at scale to drive value and growth for the business. They have vital skill sets which will help ensure their organizations can continuously adapt to evolving customer needs, providing “hyper-relevant” experiences that deliver just what the consumer needs, just when they need it.

Meeting Consumers on Their Terms

The need to deliver personalized experiences and tailored marketing is becoming ever more pressing as a means of building consumer relationships for the long haul. Look at how the craft brewing sector is cleverly infusing “relevance” into its products. Intelligent Brewing Co.  is a great example. This innovative brand invites consumers to weigh in on beer flavors and carbonation levels via its website. This crowdsourced insight is then fed back into the brand’s algorithm to produce continuously refined and personalized beer recipes at scale, with the resulting brews shipped monthly to subscribers. That’s consumer relevance on a whole new scale.

We have also seen a wave of direct-to-consumer brands shake up the market by offering customers new experiences, as well as individually tailored products and services. Consider how Mink’s technology lets customers 3D-print self-designed makeup at home. Or how hair care brand Function of Beauty created  54 trillion possible formulations so that consumers can select a product to meet their individual “hair goals.”

Updating the Marketing ‘Tool Belt’

To achieve this kind of responsiveness, CMOs will need to bring new and enhanced strategies into play—platform thinking, silo busting, cutting-edge AI and analytics. These are the tools that leaders will use to build the titan reputations of tomorrow.

But many CMOs today are still being held back by legacy systems and processes—significantly more so than in other industries. Six out of 10 told Accenture they were unable to develop the more agile, dynamic organizations and operating models required in today’s fast-changing environment. And two-thirds of CMOs cited a lack of critical technology and tools as a top barrier to improving performance.

Focus on Getting to Growth

Transforming an entire marketing organization is no easy task. But by focusing on three key areas, CMOs can prepare their teams—and their companies—to thrive. They are:

·         Centering the entire business around growth, ensuring the organization can adapt and respond, not to where its customers are today, but to where they’ll be tomorrow. It means working across the organization to upgrade operating models and shape a far more consumer-centric culture.

·         Preparing to let go of traditional and familiar technologies. Modern, adaptable backend systems will deliver the agility that smaller, newer competitors are already enjoying. And technologies such as AI, analytics, and the internet of things will open new operating models and create different and much more personalized product and service innovation to serve consumers across a variety of channels.

·         Being ready to reimagine roles and ways of working. Taking inspiration from leaders who are moving away from vertical static structures to more flexible groups of multidisciplinary “pods”—small teams brought together to solve specific problems. And planning for entirely different kinds of skill sets, such as “immersive experience designers,” “storytellers,” “growth hackers” and “futurologists”—just some of the new types of talent CMOs said they expect to need in the years to come.

Finding the Freedom to Reinvent

The reality is there’s no longer any part of the business that isn’t impacted by marketing in some way. And the expectations on CMOs are growing significantly as a result.

They must therefore ensure they give themselves the freedom to take on this expanded role, balancing the need to deliver the marketing basics brilliantly and cost-effectively with the need to help the whole business drive real growth.

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, www.Linkedin.com/in/grocerant/ or www.twitter.com/grocerant/