Oh, thank heaven for a fresh coat of paint. 7-Eleven’s new marketing tactic gives its stores a much-needed face-lift as part of its newest strategy to appeal to its strongest, most dynamic demographic.

The demographic I’m speaking of, of course, is teenagers and young adults aged 13 to 24, with special attention being paid to females and those at the younger end of the spectrum. This young demographic cohort – often referred to as “Generation Y” or the “Millennial Generation” – has been exposed to organic-this and antioxidant-that well before they’ve been making their own food decisions. The health and wellness culture is part of the fabric of their food lifestyle, and as such, Millennials are far more health-conscious than their previous teen predecessors.

7-Eleven aims to respond to this psychographic change in their young consumers by implementing a new positioning strategy that will see stores revamped. While they will continue with a differentiated targeting strategy, it is the change in the positioning of their products in the eyes of their youngest consumers that will somehow seek to reflect a more health-conscious “Home of the Big Gulp”.

Now let’s stop right here for a second. Two things we need to address: Firstly, it’s about friggin’ time 7-Eleven did something to clean up its perpetually gross stores. The only thing worse than the sticky orange linoleum was the way those hot dogs looked rotating under the fluorescents. Secondly, while its stores might be cleaned up in the coming months, a reputation synonymous with the word “Slurpee” might be a little harder to shake, especially in the minds of young, health-conscious consumers.

While I think that 7-Eleven’s tactic comes off as a little gimmicky, I do believe it’s a step in the right direction in bettering the company’s image. What do you think?

Sources:
http://www.psfk.com/2013/10/7eleven-rebranding.html/7-eleven-logo-store-redesign-wd-partners-5
http://newhope360.com/blog/7-eleven-rebrands-appeal-millennials-women