7-Eleven leverages presidential buzz for Slurpee Summit tour

Perhaps the key tenet of social media — listening — is paramount to the success of any social-media campaign. For some, however, it has also been the catalyst.

There are many examples of top brands watching their mentions and responding accordingly to individual customers on the social Web. Some have taken advantage of the attention to boost their image, services and bottom line (Comcast or TurboTax, for example). Others, notably, have not. We all recall Kevin Smith’s “too fat to fly” rant against Southwest Airlines … yikes.

So how can you leverage listening to drive your next campaign? Look no further than your nearby 7-Eleven.

During the midterm elections this year, President Barack Obama mentioned Slurpees in 35 different speeches. Obama referenced the product as the Republicans’ beverage of choice while they criticized Democrats’ efforts to revive the economy.

In the first postelection news conference, Bloomberg news correspondent Hans Nichols asked the president whether he would have the Republican majority leader, John Boehner, over for a Slurpee. Obama quipped, “I might serve [Slurpees,] they’re delicious drinks. The Slurpee summit, I like that.” 7-Eleven liked it too — and within 24 hours pulled together a team of 30 people from their PR, marketing, operations and ad agency teams to figure out the logistics and get on the road with their 14 city Slurpee Summit tour, promoted entirely through Slurpee’s Facebook fan page.

Read the full article here on SmartBlogs