Jun 25, 2008 6:04 AM, PROMO Xtra, By Amy Johannes

7-Eleven is out in full force with a host of summertime promotions tied to its Slurpee brand, which include everything from coupons, giveaways and new flavors.

Starting July 1, a new flavor will be unveiled, Monster Black Ice, the first Monster Energy Drink in a frozen form. The drink will be available in collectible cups in a 32-ounce size with 3-D graphics of the Monster jagged claw logo and black dome lids. The flavor will be sampled during its Slurpee Nation tour, which makes stops at the Vans Warped tour, a multi-city mega-music and extreme sports event targeting teens.

On July 11, the convenience store’s 41^st birthday, customers who visit participating stores will receive a free 7.11-ounce drink. In-store signage will promote the offer.

“Last year was all about ‘The Simpsons,’” Margaret Chabris, a 7-Eleven spokesperson said. “This year we decided was the summer of Slurpee. It’s such an iconic brand. We decided to pump it up and do a lot of fun things.”

The promotional activities began in March with Spring Break giveaways and movie-tie ins. The campaign marks 7-Eleven’s largest effort behind the frozen beverage to date, according to Slurpee and Big Gulp Brand Manager Jay Wilkins.

The beverage is also getting some attention on the one of the world’s biggest stages, New York City’s Time Square. A Slurpee sign will be erected on the CBS Super Screen on 42ndStreet through July.

A mall tour is targeting teens through August in six markets: Dallas-Fort Worth, Las Vegas, NV, Philadelphia, PA, Orlando, FL, Virginia Beach, VA, and Denver. At each event, brand ambassadors are giving away free music downloads, Slurpee coupons and Frisbees with the Slurpee logo.

Slurpee is also the title sponsor of the Uncommon Comedy Film contest, part of Samsung Mobile’s Fresh Films teen filmmaker project. The program lets winning teens work as directors and make a comedy, drama or action-thriller film-short in seven days. The summer competition will feature Slurpee machines on film sets, coupons for online viewer votes and a possible product placement deal in the films.

And in August, 7-Eleven will team up with EA Sports to help promote the 20^th anniversary of Madden NFL Football videogames and the release of “Madden NFL 09.” Stores will receive an exclusive Xbox 360 playable demo DVD of the game before its Aug. 12 release. The demo, which includes 60 minutes of National Football League highlights, will be free with the purchase of a Madden Meal deal.

A sports-themed Slurpee flavor is slated to launch in August, the company said.

USMP worked with 7-Eleven’s marketing manager for Slurpee and is executing the local events. FreshWorks, a consortium of people from Omnicom agencies, is the company’s agency of record and handlies the advertising and marketing work.

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