For many companies, branding is about consistency: How things will look, what tone communications will carry, and how promotional efforts will be handled. For other brands, however, this positioning is the foundation upon which everything else is based. The epitome of this emphasis on customer engagement through branding is found at the largest convenience store chain in the world, 7-Eleven.
The chain is proving the value of its brand once again with Bring Your Own Cup Day (complete with #BYOCupDay hashtag, naturally), a promotion in which customers can pay $1.50 to fill any cup they choose with a 7-Eleven Slurpee, as long as the container can fit through a 10-inch-diameter hole.
Like most 7-Eleven promotions, Bring Your Own Cup Day is centered on the Slurpee, a sugary drink that, through the power of branding, has become a household name and the crown jewel of 7-Eleven’s marketing efforts.
“In today’s ‘Participation & Influence Marketplace’ a company’s success is predicated on whether its products, services and content are aligned to its brand …while embracing customer participation and providing experiences noteworthy enough for advocates to spread the word,” Lou Ramery, CEO of Eastwest Marketing Group told Loyalty360. “7-Eleven is once again on target with ‘Bring Your Own Cup Day’ which extends its core brand attributes throughout the program and engenders a connected community by leveraging co-creation.”
Through the maintenance of the 7-Eleven brand through things like “National 7-Eleven Day” and the 7Rewards loyalty program, the company has turned a simple run to the store into an experience. The brand’s ability to keep up on current trends with its Twitter has transformed it into a social media powerhouse for the young audience it seeks to target. Further leveraging the medium, 7-Eleven has developed a unique Snapchat filter for the occasion, which will only be available to customers inside of participating stores.
What does this mean for brands looking to emulate the convenience store’s unbridled success? In short, it underlines the fact that when it comes to CX, branding is among the most underrated factors. With the bevy of options available to shoppers across all shoppers, consumers are looking for companies that stand out against the pack. For younger generations especially, this means a strong brand, a unique voice, and a shareable experience every time they visit a store.
7-Eleven isn’t the only brand to employ strong branding to engage a younger audience: One look at the Taco Bell website reveals a sleek design, hip imagery, and a focus on style that engages the “Fourth Meal” demographic.
Customer engagement is the result of numerous factors coming together, but for companies looking to spark an uptick in advocacy among younger generations, a strong branding push is an excellent place to start.