Brands are using scavenger hunts as productive ways to interact with customers but also, and more importantly, as a means to educate people about products or services. Here are some recent examples from Chrysler, Cathay Pacific and Starbucks.
Chrysler and its Dodge brand had people scouring the country in September for three hidden Dodge Journey vehicles in a promotion called, “Search Engine for the Real World.” Chrysler pitches the vehicle as one for the adventurous and played the promotion along the same lines.
TV and digital spots took viewers on a tour of some of America's most picturesque landscapes while showcasing the Journey. The spots ended by telling viewers that the vehicles they have just seen were in fact still sitting in those locations waiting to be discovered. The first people to find the cars, won them.
On YouTube, players unlocked clues from videos and watched a 24/7 live feed of the vehicles' travels, which also revealed more clues and the discovery of the cars by the winners. The hunt lasted just 17 days. More than 1 million views were registered on YouTube. About 300,000 people watched the live feed for an average of 25 minutes each.
Starbucks earlier this summer ran its first mobile scavenger hunt using trivia questions about brand.
Every question answered generated an entry into a sweepstakes for a chance to play the “Ultimate Scavenger Hunt.” In September, five winners met in New York City to compete in the two-day challenge. The team that solved the most clues won a grand-prize trip to Costa Rica.
During the fall, Cathay Pacific combined on-the-ground sleuthing with mobile to make it known that it has a new nonstop destination that departs from Chicago. It is using that city, among others, as the backdrop for a hunt that could lead to a trip to the new location: Hong Kong.
The sweepstakes took place on iPhone and Android phones and was run by SCVNGR. Those who played received challenges via their mobiles. For example, the Gateway to China challenge required players to visit the entrance to Chicago's historic Chinatown, where they had to take a group photo to submit. Another challenge, the Comfy Seat, had players taking photos of themselves posing by Cathy Pacific's new business class seat display at Terminal 3 at Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
Challenges will also be sent to mobile players at airports in Boston, New York and San Francisco. People who don't own the appropriate phones could log on to play at Cathay Pacific's website.
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