DETROIT - When it comes to cutthroat reality competitions, there's CBS's "Survivor," NBC's "The Apprentice" and now Volvo's "The Hunt."
Running through July 11, Ford Motor Co.'s Volvo unit is running a new reality TV-showesque competition in which people can participate in a worldwide treasure hunt for a hidden custom $82,000 XC90 V8 to promote the SUV and Disney's soon-to-be-released "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest."
The contest will end with a Web broadcast on www.volvocars.com/thehunt of finalists duking it out to find the buried XC90 at a secret location somewhere in the world.
Volvo said it hid a "Pirates of the Caribbean"-themed black XC90 with decals of pirates last month. In TV, print, radio and Web ads, the automaker encourages people to go to a Volvo dealer to get a special code they can use to get online clues to find the vehicle. Seven finalists who answer 13 puzzles successfully will be picked from the United States, Britain, Japan and Austria to compete to find the buried treasure in a finale similar to CBS's "The Amazing Race."
"This is a fun, tactful and creative way to get people coming in our dealerships and looking at our cars," said Linda Gangeri, Volvo's national advertising manager.
The marketing effort by Volvo, known for safety, illustrates how advertisers are desperately trying to find new and creative ways to tap into pop culture, including people's fascination with reality TV and game shows.
The campaign also shows that marketers are getting hip to the idea that they need to pitch their ad messages to consumers in multiple places, including TV ads, regional contests and viral marketing - the Web's version of word-of-mouth.
For instance, in addition to Web ads on entertainment and other sites, Volvo set up a blog section on http://vcnathehunt.spaces.msn.com/ where people can discuss the "The Hunt." Volvo also joined with other Disney partners to sponsor regional contests, including a pirate look-alike contest in New York in which the winner took home a $46,000 XC90.
"They're hooking onto a couple of trends, the first being the popularity of reality TV shows and the other viral marketing, where they're engaging people unlike most car ads," said Nora J. Rifon, an advertising professor at Michigan State University. "It gives people an awareness of Volvo and gets people to go to the dealership. How much of the battle is that?"
Indeed, Brian Hucks, sales manager at Suburban Volvo in Troy, Mich., said he's had several people inquire in person and over the phone about the treasure hunt, which he says has gotten some people excited about the brand. "The goal is to get people in the dealership and to look at a Volvo," he said.
But apparently not everyone thinks the treasure hunt is a good idea.
"It seems like a lot of trouble just to win an XC90," said someone named Tom who posted a message on Volvo's blog section.
Overall, Volvo's Gangeri said about 2,500 people had registered to play the game by Wednesday afternoon.
Disney's Buena Vista Motion Pictures said it hopes "The Hunt" it will drum up interest beyond the game and get people anticipating its upcoming film, which will be in theaters July 7.
"This is perfect timing for the film," said Cherise McVicar, senior vice president of national promotions at Buena Vista.
