7-Eleven's Coffee-Cup Poll Brews Up Another Election Prediction
Most of the national polls had Sen. Barack Obama winning the presidential election by a fairly small margin. But once again, the coffee-cup poll at 7-Eleven® stores predicted the overall presidential race winner and indicated a Democrat victory in 23 out of 33 states (including the District of Columbia) where it operates and franchises stores.
Since early October, hot beverage drinkers have been "voting" at 7-Eleven stores in the company’s 7-Election campaign by choosing either a 20-oz. blue Obama cup or a red cup representing Sen. John McCain.
7-Eleven’s tally going into the final weeks of the campaign had Obama leading by as much as 20 percent. As the final real election results poured in, 7-Eleven’s unscientific poll appears to have been a predictor of the final results. Early election results show 52 percent of the popular vote for Obama vs. 46 percent McCain.
Rick Wilshe, brand manager for 7-Eleven's hot beverages category, explains why he believes 7-Eleven’s polling so favored the Democrat candidate. “The majority of stores operated and franchised by 7-Eleven, Inc. are in urban and suburban areas, compared to those considered rural, areas reported to favor the Republican candidate. In addition, we operate and franchise stores in 30 states in the U.S. and the District of Columbia with representation in 20 of the 24 ‘Blue’ states (including D.C.). We didn’t have participating stores in 16 of the 21 ‘Red’ states.
“7-Eleven’s core shopper is between the ages of 18 and 34,” Wilshe said. "CNN’s polling results showed 66 percent of voters ages 18 to 29 years old and 52 percent of those 30 to 44 years of age voted for the Democratic presidential nominee.”
This makes the 3rd straight presidential election in which the company's 7-Election got it right nationally. In both 2000 and 2004, the 7-Election-cup poll was within just a percent or two of being accurate.
About 7 Eleven, Inc.
7 Eleven, Inc. is the premier name and largest chain in the convenience retailing industry. Based in Dallas, Texas, 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses more than 7,600 7-Eleven® stores in North America. Globally, 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses approximately 35,000 stores in 17 countries. During 2007, 7-Eleven stores worldwide generated total sales of more than $46.6 billion. Named the #1 Franchise Opportunity for 2008 by Entrepreneur magazine, 7-Eleven is franchising its stores in the U.S., and is expanding through organic growth, acquisitions, and its Business Conversion
Program. Find out more online at www.7-Eleven.com.
Contact:
Margaret Chabris
7-Eleven, Inc.
972-828-7285
margaret.chabri@7-11.com