Triads front new TVC for 7-Eleven

The chain is positioning itself as a place for 'instant satisfaction' in the new campaign, which also celebrates the opening of its 500th store in the city. The TV push follows major investment by 7-Eleven in new stores and the upgrading of its outlets, which hit the 500 mark following the opening of a Causeway Bay outlet on July 7. The store opening was accompanied by a major HK$5 million (US$ 641,000) scratch card promotion, which is featured in the television advertising campaign and POS. Developed by Saatchi & Saatchi Hong Kong, the campaign includes four spots. "Everyone knows that 7-Eleven stands for convenience. The real benefit of that is 'instant satisfaction', and, that's the idea behind the campaign. Everything we did had to reflect the need for instant satisfaction. From the tagline tight down to the choice of shorter length commercials," said Shaun Branagan, executive creative director at Saatchis. He added that the average time spent in a 7-Eleven store is just under one minute, with shoppers picking up two to three basket items. "Everyone knows the stores are convenient, so we decided to talk about the people who use them. The newspaper (TVC), which will go on air in a couple of weeks, builds on triads and their use of newspapers to conceal weapons. We wanted to use very local humour and settings to appeal to consumers," said Branagan. One spot shows four middle age women playing mahjong. A waiter passes by serving drinks and as one woman waves to stop him a mahjong tile falls from her sleeve. The spot ends with 'Want to win big?' and shows the store's scratch and win promotion. Another spot features a man in a coma hooked up to machines. As the doctor hands the man a long bill, he stares in horror before passing out again. The spots end with the super '7-Eleven. Got it'. The campaign is the first developed by Saatchis since it won the above- and below-the-line business last month.