From Slurpees To Sustainability with Marissa Jarratt

Opinion Party: the marketing podcast
brought to you by BAV Group & IRG 

S2: E2

From Slurpees to Sustainability: Driving Purposeful Growth with 7-Eleven's Marissa Jarratt

 

SUMMARY

In this episode of Opinion Party, host Laura Jones welcomes Marissa Jarratt, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer at 7-Eleven. Marissa shares her unique perspective on how marketing and sustainability, often seen as opposing forces, can be reconciled to drive business growth. She discusses 7-Eleven's successful "Seven Collection" merchandise line, the organizational transformation that led to her dual role, and the company's "Good Made Easy" sustainability strategy. Marissa also delves into 7-Eleven's global approach to sustainability, their use of the UN SDGs, and how they balance short-term financial goals with long-term environmental objectives. The conversation highlights 7-Eleven's brand evolution, their focus on "activating awesome" for customers, and the importance of humanized growth across their vast stakeholder ecosystem.

LINKS

• Laura Jones: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lapjones/   
• Marissa Jarratt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marissajarratt/
• BAV Group: https://www.bavgroup.com
• 7-Eleven: https://www.7-eleven.com/
• Seven Collection: https://7collection.com/
• Sustainability at 7-11: https://corp.7-eleven.com/corp/our-approach
• UN SDGs: https://sdgs.un.org/goals
• Institute for Real Growth: https://instituteforrealgrowth.com

 

TAKEAWAYS

• Marketing and sustainability are fundamentally about driving behavioral change.
• 7-Eleven's "Seven Collection" merchandise line generates profit that funds marketing efforts.
• Sustainability at 7-Eleven shifted from compliance-driven to organizational transformation.
• Nesting sustainability under marketing ensures customer-centricity and integration.
• 7-Eleven's internal tagline for sustainability is "Good Made Easy," focusing on Planet, People, and Product.
• The UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) provide a global standard for 7-Eleven's ESG efforts.
• Balancing financial goals with sustainability is achieved through pilot initiatives and a "triple bottom line" framework.
• 7-Eleven's stakeholder ecosystem includes franchisees, associates, consumers, suppliers, investors, and communities.
• Marissa's Ikigai is making a positive impact on people, from team members to global customers.
• 7-Eleven's brand conflict is "amusing versus essential," aiming to deliver both in customer experience.
• Operationalizing marketing means empowering all associates and franchisees to be brand managers.
• Humanized growth in retail emphasizes the impact across the entire stakeholder community, down to the store level.

 

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction: Marketing and Sustainability at 7-Eleven

01:10 The Success of 7-Eleven's "Seven Collection" Merch

03:35 Reconciling Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer Roles

04:56 The Evolution of Sustainability at 7-Eleven

07:13 Organizational Transformation Playbook for Marketing and Sustainability

09:53 7-Eleven's "Good Made Easy" Sustainability Definition

10:57 Adapting Global Sustainability Strategy with UN SDGs

13:25 Balancing Short-Term and Long-Term Goals: Measurement at 7-Eleven

15:15 7-Eleven's Stakeholder Ecosystem and Humanized Growth

16:29 Marissa's Ikigai and Impact at Scale

17:44 7-Eleven's Centennial and Archival Efforts

19:18 Evolving the 7-Eleven Brand and Staying Relevant

21:45 The "Amusing vs. Essential" Brand Conflict in Action

23:59 Operationalizing Marketing: Everyone's a Brand Manager

26:29 Humanizing Growth at 7-Eleven

28:20 Conclusion: Busted Myth - Marketing and Sustainability Can Coexist

 
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Opinion Party: the marketing podcast

For season two, twelve marketing leaders from a world class set of organizations joined host Laura Jones to talk marketing myths, trends, data, and opinions. Filmed live on site at the Institute for Real Growth Summit in Cannes, summer 2025.  Find it wherever you get your podcasts.

 

BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

BAV Group, the world’s leading authority on data-driven branding.™