What’s the first thing you think of when you think 7-Eleven? Red and blue Slurpees. The iconic cold drinks get their own holiday every July 11. What can associations learn from this cool marketing campaign?

The answer, and more, in today’s Social Media Roundup:

Free Slurpee Day

https://twitter.com/CallieCady/status/355713141704896512

Slurpees aren’t just cool and refreshing; they’re a critical part of 7-Eleven’s brand. Every year on July 11 (7/11, get it?), the convenience store chain reinforces that connection by giving away free Slurpees. Associations can learn how to build their own unforgettable icon into their brands from this marketing campaign. At M Blogs, Callie Cady writes, “The key is to find the one symbol/product/message that really defines your organization as a whole to promote in all of your marketing efforts—and BE CONSISTENT with it. Branding is all about recognition—recognition leads to interest, which ultimately leads to buzz and sales.” What icon represents your organization’s brand? (ht @CallieCady)

Attack of the Salesmen

Attacked by salesmen! http://t.co/VQVPhpiW08 How to handle annoying advertisers in your Online Community #assnchat #cmgr

— Ben Martin, CAE (@bkmcae) July 12, 2013

Is your online community overrun with advertising? Overzealous pitchmen are a problem many associations face in their social media communities. “Your goal isn’t to stop the salesmen from posting,” writes Ben Martin at Online Community Results. “It’s to train them to post in ways that benefit both them and the community.” To that end, he offers four suggestions, including this clever one: Only allow advertising on a specific day of the week. (ht @bkmcae)

How do you weed out advertising in your online communities? Let us know in the comments.

(photo by lsiegert/Flickr)