BYO CUP DAY

Bronze Spike
TitleBYO CUP DAY
Brand7-ELEVEN
Product / ServiceSLURPEE
CategoryA03. Best Use of Live Events and/or Celebrity Endorsement
EntrantLEO BURNETT Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Entrant Company:LEO BURNETT Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
PR/Advertising Agency:LEO BURNETT Melbourne, AUSTRALIA

Credits

Name Company Position
Jason Williams Leo Burnett Melbourne Executive Creative Director
Andrew Woodhead Leo Burnett Melbourne Creative Group Head
James Orr Leo Burnett Melbourne Art Director
Elle Bullen Leo Burnett Melbourne Copywriter
Patrick Rowe Leo Burnett Melbourne General Manager
Ari Sztal Leo Burnett Melbourne Group Account Director
Eamonn Dixon Leo Burnett Melbourne Copywriter
Terence Thean Rodeo Digital/Social Build
Leah Grant Haystac Pr
Neville Betts OMD Media

The Campaign

Slurpee - the original self-serve frozen drink - plays an important role in 7-Eleven’s retail offer as a traffic driver for the all important youth segment. What makes Slurpee different though is its involving, experiential nature. It lets people pour, mix and fill their cup any way they like. But in 2011 more and more copycat competitors entered the Australian frozen drink market. This included an aggressive advertising push from Coca-cola that threatened the Slurpee brand’s number one position.

The Brief

Slurpee is extremely experimental in nature. Drinkers have the freedom to pour and mix their individual concoctions. But there was one thing they’ve never had control over until now – the cup. That’s how the concept of “Bring Your Own Cup Day” was born. For one day we would give Australians total creative control over their drinking experience, simultaneously differentiating it from copycat products and all drink and a genuine opportunity to indulge their fantasies. In the process we would remind consumers why they fell in love with Slurpee in the first place – the unique and personal hands-on experience.

Results

In a single day almost 100,000 ‘cups’ were filled. That’s nearly half a million litres of Slurpee. Over 350 stores were ‘slurped’ dry. The highest Slurpee sales in history were recorded, making it the most successful promotion to date. Achieving a 270% increase in unit sales for the same day the previous year. Sales have consistently increased month upon month (compared with the same month the previous year) following the promotion, cementing Slurpee’s position as Australia’s favourite frozen drink. Not to mention, more user-generated content was created in a single day, than in the brands history. In 2012 BYO Cup Day will become an annual event, worldwide.

Execution

On September 21, 2011 anyone could bring in any ‘cup’ they liked to their local 7-Eleven and fill it with Slurpee. We seeded the idea prior to the event on facebook by asking 150,000 of our closest friends one question, “If you could fill up any cup with Slurpee what would it be?” And it wasn’t long before they started seeing potential cups everywhere. The best suggestions formed the outdoor campaign further inspiring people’s creativity in the lead up to the day. On BYO Cup Day people all over the country slurped from buckets, watering cans, dog bowls and prosthetic legs, all for the price of a regular Slurpee. We kicked off the day with coordinated publicity events in high visibility stores in key locations. Breakfast TV and morning radio shows covered the launch event, featuring some of the more bizarre vessels and capturing the excitement.

The Situation

To maintain our position as Australia’s favourite frozen drink, we needed to make ourselves different again. Three defining brand principles were outlined prior to the creative development. Firstly, Slurpee is an experience, not a drink. It is a ritual that goes beyond mere refreshment. Secondly, Slurpee belongs to its drinkers, not 7-Eleven. Its attitude needs to be as irreverent as its drinkers’. Lastly, Slurpee is underground not mass. Whatever global mainstream drinks brands do, Slurpee does the opposite. Our campaign targeted our highly profitable ‘hardcore’ Slurpee drinkers. Aged 14-17, they love the brand and are highly engaged with it. We wanted to reward these kids for their devotion to the brand (not to mention their contribution to sales), creating new brand advocates along the way.

The Strategy

We changed the one thing no one had ever thought to change before – the cup. And ‘Bring Your Own’ Day was born. For one day anyone could bring in anything they liked to fill with Slurpee. We seeded the idea prior to the event on facebook by asking 150,000 of our closest friends one question, “If you could fill up any cup with Slurpee what would it be?” And it wasn’t long before they started seeing potential cups everywhere. The best suggestions formed an instore, outdoor and print campaign, further inspiring people’s creativity in the lead up to the day.