Slurpee® Rocks Out With First Virtual `Battle of the Bands'

Last Band Standing To Win $10,000 Prize; 7-Eleven® Introduces First Slurpee, Big Gulp® Guitar Cups

DALLAS (Aug. 31, 2009) - 7-Eleven, Inc. rocks out this month with "Battle of the Bands," an in-store and online promotion that pits 28 bands from across the U.S. in a music video competition at www.slurpee.com and adds an in-store first -- three colorful 32-oz guitar-shaped Slurpee® cups and a giant 54-ounce guitar-shaped Big Gulp® cup. The Big Gulp guitar cup comes in both blue and red and has its own custom guitar strap and straw. It is replicated after the guitar controllers in today's wildly popular rock music video games.

All five guitars can be personalized with stickers that are included with purchase. In addition, three collectible Slurpee straws feature psychedelic guitars, each with a unique design that can be removed and used as a backpack clip or keychain. It wouldn't be a Slurpee promotion without something new to savor. Battle Berry is September's featured Slurpee flavor, a sweet and tart combination created by The Coca-Cola Company, which blends the new yumberry super-fruit taste with currant and other berries.

The centerpiece of the promotion is the actual online "Battle of the Bands" that includes a top prize of $10,000 for the last band standing. The final four each receive a $1,000 prize and a custom-made electric guitar designed like a giant Slurpee cup.

Almost 70 bands submitted music videos of original songs. Requirements were that the song length be less than four minutes and contain no offensive material. Of those submitted, 28 bands were selected to participate in the online competition that has visitors to the Slurpee Nation website voting for their favorite throughout September. These 28 will receive $500 7-Eleven gift cards.

After the first round of voting, the field will be narrowed to 16 and placed in a bracketed tournament. Bands will then compete head-to-head until a winner is named.

The Slurpee Concert Series continues in September with performances in six cities - San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Dallas and Miami. Tickets are an affordable $7.11 (plus taxes and fees) for general admission and are available at www.livenation.com. Bowling for Soup is the featured artist in all cities except San Francisco, where Honor Society will headline.

"This is the first time Slurpee has sponsored grassroots music competition with music-lovers from around the country picking the winners," said Jay Wilkins, 7-Eleven brand manager for proprietary cold beverages. "That, along with the cool guitar cups and affordable Slurpee concert series bring the music, and of course Slurpee and Big Gulp drinks, to the people."