TV Star Ashley Benson Takes First Sip of 7-Eleven Slurpee Season

DALLAS – 7-Eleven Inc. is getting summer started early by kicking off Slurpee season this Memorial Day weekend by launching #AWESUMMER Slurpee Days. From Friday, May 24 through Monday, May 27, medium Slurpees will be available for just 49 cents. Actress Ashley Benson visited a Los Angeles 7-Eleven today to take an inaugural sip of the first summer Slurpee.

After taking her ceremonial first sip, Benson of TV's "Pretty Little Liars" and the movie "Spring Breakers," set her cup on a Slurpee machine that set off a chain reaction that resulted in the raising of a colorful banner officially opening the 2013 Slurpee season.

"I love Slurpees," said Benson, who selected the new Slurpee Lite Sugar Free Sprite flavor. "Slurpee Lite is so delicious and since it has fewer calories I can drink them more often. All summer long!"

Introduced this month, Slurpee Lite Sprite is caffeine free and sweetened with Splenda. An 8-ounce cup contains just 20 calories. The flavor is paired with Fanta Oddball Orange. Both varieties were created by The Coca-Cola Co. in coordination with its brands.

"This is the first time 7-Eleven has celebrated Memorial Day weekend with a special offer on Slurpee all weekend long," said Laura Gordon, 7-Eleven’s vice president of brand innovation. "Memorial Day weekend is four days long at 7-Eleven and four days of flavors. So whether it's trying our three new awesome summer, or #AWESUMMER, flavors or grabbing a longtime favorite like Coca-Cola or Fanta Wild Cherry, everyone can celebrate summer's first holiday with a 49-cent medium Slurpee drink."

Consumers can download 7-Eleven's smartphone app in the App Store or Google Play to take advantage of #AWESUMMER mobile coupons for free. Each week, exclusive coupons for items like free Slurpees and free Snickers ice cream bars will appear on the app, the company said. Consumers can also also receive twice-a-month text notifications of special offers by texting DEALS to 711711.

"We expect to offer more than 30 coupons for free merchandise plus lots of additional value offers on our most popular products," Gordon said. "The app is free, so the return on investment is, shall we say, '#Awesummer.'"