Politics Are Brewing at 7-Eleven®

7-Eleven customers also will see the return of vanilla-flavored "Purple for the People" Slurpee® drinks at participating 7-Eleven stores, billed as a "peace-maker" beverage to unite the country. During the contentious mid-term 2010 elections, 7-Eleven created the unifying purple drink to symbolically unite the red and blue sides of the political spectrum.

7-Eleven was the first U.S. retailer to offer fresh-brewed coffee in to-go cups back in the mid 1960s. It proved an instant success. Customers liked fixing their coffee the way they wanted it – choosing cup size, regular or decaffeinated, and adding sweeteners and creamers to suit their tastes. Today, 7-Eleven sells more fresh-brewed coffee than anything else – 1 million cups per day. In each of the past 7-Election polls, more than 6 million candidate cups were cast.

While a nonpartisan beverage enjoyed by Democrats and Republicans alike, coffee does have deep political roots in American history. In 1607, Captain John Smith in Virginia introduced coffee in America, and it was named the national beverage by the First Continental Congress after the Boston Tea Party.

What's Brewing during 7-Election 2012

How to Vote – It's easy. Visit a participating 7-Eleven store. Head to the hot beverage (coffee) bar. Select a blue cup for Obama or a red cup for Romney. Fill with hot drink and customize, if desired, with free creamers, syrups and sweeteners. Take to the cash register. When the UPC code is scanned, the cup's vote is counted. National, state and major market results are posted at the end of the day on the 2012 7-Election website at www.7-election.com. People are invited to vote as often as they want.

CofFREE Day – It promises to be an election free-for-all. 7-Eleven will pour it on Friday, Sept. 28. That's when customers are invited to stop by a participating 7-Eleven store and vote by selecting a free, large-size red or blue cup of coffee between 6 and 10 a.m.

Mobile Oval Tour – This political party bus is on the campaign trail, crossing the country starting on CofFREE Day, Friday, Sept. 28 through Election Day, Nov. 6. Inside is a mini-replica of the Presidential Oval office, where visitors can have their oh-so-official-looking photos made. Scheduled stops and photos will be posted on 7-Election.com, 7-Eleven's Facebook fan page and Twitter feed.

Sampling Trucks – Sampling trucks with larger-than-life backdrops of the two candidates will be showing up at local events during the 7-Election campaign. As with the Mobile Oval Office, people will be invited to enjoy a cup of 7-Eleven java and have their photos taken with their favorite candidate between Sept. 6 and Nov. 6.

Purple for the People (P4P) Slurpee Drinks – The beverage that was born during the mid-term 2010 elections is back in a favorite nonpartisan flavor, vanilla. Red and blue makes purple, of course, and this vanilla-flavor blend targets those who want to lower the heat of the campaign. As the "peacemaker" choice, the P4P frozen beverage is featured on the Slurpee Facebook page that offers buy-one-get-one coupons that friends can send to stop a heated debate or cool hot heads. Consider it an apolitical Brainfreeze® beverage. An easy-to-use purple debate-blocker can be downloaded to offer a visual cue that one is retreating from the political games-playing.

The Onion – This cheeky news outlet is popular with those who don't always take the news of the day too seriously. As the sole sponsor of The Onion's 2012 War for the White House coverage, 7-Eleven will be popping up on The Onion's website. Exclusive video content will be featured on the 7-Election website as well.

7-Election Website, API and Social Media – The 7-Election website is buzzing with information including daily cup counts nationally, by state and major markets … exclusive videos from The Onion … free downloads like masks, flags and do-it-yourself confetti … updates on the Mobile Oval Tour (see above) and more.

7-Eleven also has developed its first open API (application programming interface) and three plug-in widgets to make the latest 7-Election cup results available to third-party mobile apps, websites and digital media. The 7-Election API allows election followers to check national, state and major market cup-voting results on a variety of virtual locations.

Seeing Stars – As if Blue and Red coffee cups aren't enough, 7-Eleven also will debut fresh-baked-daily patriotic donuts. Look for the star-shaped donuts with red or blue icing. They're just for fun … and deliciousness. Donuts do not count as votes in 7-Election.

About 7-Eleven, Inc.

7-Eleven, Inc. is the premier name and largest chain in the convenience retailing industry. Based in Dallas, Texas, 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses approximately 9,400 7-Eleven® stores in North America. Globally, there are some 47,600 7-Eleven stores in 16 countries. During 2011, 7-Eleven stores worldwide generated total sales close to $76.6 billion. 7-Eleven has been honored by a number of companies and organizations recently. Accolades include: #2 on Forbes magazine's 2011 list of Top Franchises for the Money; #3 spot on Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500 list for 2012, #3 in Forbes magazine's Top 20 Franchises to Start, and #2 in Franchise Times Top 200 Franchise Companies. Hispanic Magazine named 7-Eleven among its Hispanic Corporate Top 100 Companies that provide the most opportunities to Hispanics. 7-Eleven received the 2010 Retailer of the Year honor from PL Buyer because of the company's private-label brand initiative. 7-Eleven is franchising its stores in the U.S. and expanding through organic growth, acquisitions and its Business Conversion Program. Find out more online at www.7-Eleven.com.

SOURCE 7-Eleven, Inc.