Seven in Commerce

1.

The understanding that seven is 'lucky' has not escaped the attention of marketing people.

Take for example the prominent '7' adorning cans of the popular soft drink 7-Up. The drink has been in production with that name since 1929.

2.

Seven years earlier in 1922 the Austin Motor Company at Longbridge, England, started producing the Austin 7 motor cars. It became one of the company's most popular cars and was later copied by BMW and Nissan.

The car was the basis for the first Lotus car (Mk1) and the name badge was applied to later models; the Austin A30 and the first Mini in 1959, a variation of which is still being sold over 60 years later.

The seven slots on a car's front grille unmistatenly identifies the brand as a Jeep. Designed by Ford in the late 1940s, it remains the iconic symbol of those who care little for their own and others' safety or environmental degradation. Even so, they continue to sell well. Could it be that lucky seven grille?

3.

In 1927, the 7-Eleven convenience store was founded. It has over 27,000 stores in the US and 17 other countries, had its first billion sales year at the start of the 70's (1971) and its first billion sales quarter at the end of the 70's (1979).

The store was originally open from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. but now is usually open around the clock. Yet despite the changed opening hours, seven has not only been retained but is prominent in the company's logo. The parent company of 7-Eleven, the fifth largest retailer in the world, adopted the lucky number in their name: 'Seven&i Holdings'. In July 2007 (7/7), Seven&i announced their plans to increase the number of 7-Eleven stores in the USA by 7,000.

4.

Then there's that delicious dark chocolate bar with a white fondant centre.

The makers, JS Fry and Sons (now owned by Cadbury), moulded the chocolate bar into seven pieces. Their unforgettable jingle for the TV adverts from the 1960's was: "Seven pieces of Heaven, Fry's Chocolate Cream". The original seven-section mould designed by Francis Fry in 1875 is the same today and this successful product is the oldest of Cadbury's brands.

5.

Japan Tobacco's best-selling poisons are Mild Seven...

6.

... and Seven Stars. 

7.

For Apple Computer, Inc. System 7 has been the most successful operating system (1991-1997). In 2009 the Microsoft operating system Windows 7 was released. Why was it called Windows 7, when the product was merely a modest upgrade from Windows 6 (Vista)? A more accurate name would have been Windows 6.1 but the company's marketing strategists decided to use a luckier name.

Four years later, many people groaned at the launch of Windows 8, much preferring to retain the hugely popular Windows 7 which lasted longer than the other 7 brands. Indeed, Windows 7 proved so popular that Microsoft had to resort to an aggressive and involuntary upgrade to Windows 10, leading to an unprecedented number of complaints from their customers.