Has anyone heard of this new retail gps “game” that is pulling new customers into stores?

A very sharp shoe company in Lynchburg, VA has developed a brilliant new way to pull people into stores to buy their shoes. Consolidated Shoe has created a treasure hunt game for their Palladium travel shoe brand based on the hot underground sport of geocaching (one of the fastest growing activities on the planet). In the worldwide version 250,000 active caches – containing anything from poetry to cash – are hidden in remote locations in over 220 countries. Geocachers use computers and GPS (Global Position System) units to locate these caches while they hike in the woods or climb mountains. Palcaching, a proprietary urban version of geocaching, took to city streets in late April and is now going strong in NYC, Atlanta, Portland, San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle. Clues to free shoes, cash and other prizes can be spotted on the street or in parks or found online. I’ve got to believe this type of interactive marketing is the way of the future. What do you think?

First of all, I think you must work for Consolidated Shoe ;o)

I know some people who do geocaching, but I don’t think it’s widespread enough to focus an entire ad campaign on. Interactive marketing may well be the future, but I don’t think it’s the present.

Geocaching – The Ultimate Find – Funny

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