Convenience chain 7-Eleven points to the enduring relevance of Snapchat with an animated lens and geofilter for its Bring Your Own Cup day promotion while also inviting social media fans to upload their crazy cup photos via a specific hashtag.

In preparation for back-to-school season, 7-Eleven is encouraging consumers to get their last taste of its famous slushie drink by enabling them to bring any container in-store, fill it with a Slurpee and pay a flat rate of $1.50, resulting in a great deal for individuals with extra-large cups. Seven-Eleven is also ramping up anticipation for the limited-time promotion on social media by asking Slurpee enthusiasts to share their most unusual containers on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook via the #BYOCupDay hashtag, as well as interact with animated lenses and geofilters on Snapchat.

"This is Slurpee's fiftieth birthday year, so everything is bigger, and that includes BYOCup Day," said Laura Gordon, vice president of marketing and brand innovation at 7-Eleven. "This year's event is double the days and happening twice as many times.

?Last time, lots of people posted photos on social media, unofficially competing for 'most unusual' honors.?

Slurpee season
Seven-Eleven?s Bring Your Own Cup days fall on August 19 and 20 this year, taking place from 11 AM to 7 PM local time. Consumers wanting to celebrate the last days of summer or the upcoming back-to-school season are encouraged to visit a 7-Eleven location with any type of container and fill it with their choice of Slurpee drink.

The cost to fill any cup is a flat rate of $1.50, which is the average cost of a medium Slurpee. Therefore, customers who bring supersized cups to a 7-Eleven store will be able to snag a great deal.

Each individual is limited to one container, which must fit inside a display with a 10-inch diameter hole. Consumers who forget to bring their containers can purchase a 7-Eleven 32-ounce Slurpee fishbowl on-site for $3.99.

This year?s Bring Your Own Cup day marks the Slurpee drink?s fiftieth birthday. In previous years, the convenience chain saw many consumers upload their craziest and most unusual containers on social media, prompting 7-Eleven to employ a more official mobile angle this time around.

The brand is encouraging customers to upload photos of their crazy cups onto Twitter, Instagram and Facebook using the #BYOCupDay hashtag. This will enable Slurpee enthusiasts to capture their in-store experiences and view others? creative beverage concoctions while on the go.

Additionally, 7-Eleven is leveraging social media to drive more in-store visits by rolling out an animated Slurpee lens for Snapchat users on August 19. Fans of the mobile application will be able to adorn their selfies and photos with the branded lens before uploading their Slurpee images to their live Stories or sending them to friends.

A Snapchat geofilter will also be introduced in-store during both days of the promotion.

Uncapping mobile engagement
Seven-Eleven has previously tapped interactive social media strategies in a bid to prompt customers to venture in-store, especially on holidays.

This past winter, 7-Eleven Canada fueled coffee sales by rolling out a Valentine?s Day promotion that allowed customers to purchase a cup for $1, choose a sleeve depicting their relationship status and share it by uploading a picture to social media (see story).

Additionally, the convenience chain celebrated the 50th anniversary of its slushie drink with a bevy of mobile-first activations including a microsite, Snapchat filter and hashtag to encourage customers to invent new ideas for Slurpee cups (see story).

Slurpee beverages purchased on BYOCup Day will be eligible for the brand?s Buy Six, Get the Seventh Free drink deal, which is available for 7Rewards loyalty members.

?We started Slurpee season in the spring with BYOCup days, and we are closing out the summer with a second round,? Ms. Gordon said. ?People loved it then, and we know they'll be back so we invite them to get creative and bring on the fun!?