7-Eleven deepens Rocket League partnership with in-game customization

Dive Brief:

7-Eleven is partnering with Rocket League, a video game where players use a car to play a modified soccer match, to help fans customize their in-game car with 7-Eleven themed options, per a press release.
In order to unlock the 7-Eleven customization options, consumers must purchase select food and beverage products at participating 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes stores.
As video games and esports become an increasingly popular pastime of younger generations, the partnership between 7-Eleven and Rocket League, which includes the chain's sponsorship of the North American Rocket League Championship Series, allows the convenience store chain to connect with a younger generation on a more personal level.

Dive Insight:

As the esport industry is expected to approach $2 billion in revenue in 2022, putting it just behind the NBA in terms of revenue, 7-Eleven is seeking to promote its own esports partnership with the game Rocket League.

Inspiration from the Rocket League campaign came from a previous 2021 campaign, dubbed the #CarsOF7ELEVEN, that saw the brand's Instagram and TikTok accounts grow 208% over the course of a few weeks last fall. During that time, 3,600 new pieces of user-generated content were produced, 85% of which featured customers' cars in front of 7-Eleven stores.

As part of the latest campaign, fans will have the opportunity to help customize and potentially win a real Ford Mustang, dubbed the Model711. Fans will help choose the wrap, rim color, seat design and other features. One customer will win the car through a sweepstakes that will take place on social media, in stores and through delivery. This aspect of the campaign goes beyond gamers and aims to cast a wider net to reach car enthusiasts.

In addition to taking advantage of an existing partnership, the effort is designed to connect with younger generations. Rocket League has approximately 95 million monthly players. With the popularity of esports, the campaign will help to emphasize 7-Eleven's partnership with the game, raising brand awareness of the chain and participation among players.

Additionally, those who purchase the products through an app can receive additional in-game rewards. By emphasizing the chain's apps, the brand is able to collect first-party data of its users. As privacy measures are introduced by Apple and Google, pushing consumers toward apps allows brands to collect data themselves, rather than relying on third-party cookies.