Be kind, a glass of farmville vanilla

It's no secret that Zynga's social games (such as FarmVille, Mafia Wars, and others) are tremendously successful not because they like techno geeks and other computer people. The main players are quite ordinary people, active users of social networks. For example, in the most popular game Zynga - Farmville last month there were 63 million active users. Gaming brands of the company have become quite recognizable among the general population.


The fact that social games have become an integral part of modern society cannot be denied. So it is not surprising that the supermarket chain 7-Eleven made a deal with Zynga about using game brands to advertise products offered in chain stores around the world.


7-Eleven is the operator of a chain of small stores in 18 countries managed by Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Ltd., operating mainly on the basis of franchising. It is the largest network with more than 36 thousand branches. The stores of this network are located in eighteen countries of the world, the largest chains in Japan, the USA, Canada, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Thailand. 7-Eleven, Inc. - It is an American company, a subsidiary of the Japanese Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Ltd.


The deal, announced at the end of May, will allow 7-Eleven this summer to offer exclusive products with virtual gifts for Farmville, Mafia Wars and YoVille social games on Facebook.
7-Eleven will advertise the promotion via satellite TV, local radio, print and outdoor advertising. This will allow Zynga to receive the first decent retail revenues together with a large retailer.
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By purchasing specially labeled products in the retail network, players will receive special codes that can be exchanged for new virtual items released in a limited edition in one of three games. In addition, as part of the promotion, players will be able to receive gifts when they purchase certain special items or when certain results are achieved as indicated in the games.

“7-Eleven, in partnership with Zynga, has launched one of the most unique campaigns in history.” Said Rita Bargerhuff, vice president and marketing director at 7-Eleven. She believes that the campaign will attract the attention of millions of players to the products of the stores, and at the same time attract the attention of millions of buyers around the world to Zynga games.
“Thanks to our collaboration with 7-Eleven, we are expanding our audience and making our game more accessible to consumers,” said Vish Mahidzhani, senior vice president of commercial activity at Zynga.

The concept of using virtual brands in the real world is no longer new. For example, in US retail chains, products have been offered for a long time under brands designed for popular animated series such as The Simpsons or Futurama. I wonder if success is waiting for a new initiative, and is it worth waiting for the emergence of such deals from the creators of other popular games?

Source: Businessinsider