7-Eleven drives in the metaverse with Fortnite activation

Dive Brief:

7-Eleven is bringing its long-running car-themed advertising to Fortnite, according to a press release.
Consumers will be able to use clues posted to the chain’s social channels to find branded cars across a series of Fortnite islands. Once found, consumers will gain access to a special map, “There Car” Island, that is host to a virtual car meet.
To bridge the divide between the metaverse and social media, consumers who share a photo of their designated spot on Instagram or X, formally Twitter, can win prizes like a custom gaming chair or an immortalized gamertag statue for use on the special island.

Dive Insight:

7-Eleven has long turned to car fandom to entice on-the-go consumers. The Fortnite scavenger hunt combines the brand’s social media presence with a popular gaming platform in an effort to court young consumers. Additionally, it ties into 7-Eleven’s desire to build its delivery service, which it has often marketed to gamers.

The scavenger hunt leads consumers to “There Car” Island, which features a custom built 7-Eleven store and gas station. If consumers post a picture of themselves at the island at a designated spot, they have an opportunity to win prizes like $500 in credits to be used for 7Now Delivery and weekly fuel discounts at 7-Eleven and Speedway locations.

“We are always keeping a pulse on our customers’ passion points so we can show up for them in unexpected ways. We’ve embraced our customers’ love for car culture by re-posting their car selfies, or ‘carfies’, on Instagram, curating a collection of car-inspired merch, and even designing our own set of wheels with Model 711,” said Marissa Jarratt, 7-Eleven’s executive vice president, chief marketing and sustainability officer in a press release.

The activation comes several months after the launch of the chain’s retail media network. Additionally, it comes over a year after a similar campaign, where consumers could customize their cars in the game Rocket League with 7-Eleven branding. The exclusive options were only available after purchasing select products at 7-Eleven locations.

Recent marketing efforts have seen 7-Eleven tap into industry-wide trends around refreshes and musical branding. The convenience store chain in June gave a new look to the logo and cup design of its Slurpee frozen drink as part of a wider “Anything Flows” campaign, and later teamed with rapper Flo Milli to release a Slurpee-inspired song.