Autoblog

Volvo reveals 10 places where X does not mark the spot

John Neff — Mon, 07 May 2007 14:02:00 EST

click above image for more pics of Volvo's sunken treasure

As Volvo reminds us, three-quarters of the earth's surface is under water, so trying to find its sunken treasure of $50,000 worth of gold doubloons and the keys to a new XC90 SUV is not going to be easy. Autoblog readers are furiously working their way through the challenges and riddles offered by the Hunt, and you can follow their progress for tips and clues or just get up to speed by reading the comments on this post.

Volvo, however, doesn't want people to get too discouraged by the daunting task that lies before them, so it's unveiled 10 places it has not sunk its treasure. Most of the places are humurous, with only a few actually being locales on our planet. Check out the complete list after the jump for a midday chuckle.

Also, we're not sure if they contain any clues, but we located additional pics of the treasure chest in the process of being sunk.

[Source: Volvo]

Gallery: Volvo's The Hunt contest

Continue reading Volvo reveals 10 places where X does not mark the spot

Volvo reveals 10 places where X does not mark the spot originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 07 May 2007 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volvo's Hunt is on!

John Neff — Fri, 04 May 2007 11:55:00 EST

Filed under: Contests, Volvo

Today at 10:00AM EST, Volvo's second "The Hunt" Contest began when this website went live with the first clue. Upon visiting the URL, entrants are greeted with what appears to be a small, triangular piece of a treasure map floating in water (kudos for Volvo on the production quality of the contest site). Then, a hoarse and ernest voice pipes us to give the clue, which is thus:

To hunt for these waters
follow my heart,
the winding needle
will mark the start.

Uh, yeah sure. We have no idea what it means nor how it relates to the floating fragment of treasure map, but if you want to join the hunt, you have to figure out what it means. A treasure's chest worth of gold doubloons is at take, as well as a Volvo XC90 to drive your booty home. Here's hoping Volvo hid the treasure well and a fishing trawler doesn't come across it while scraping the sea floor. That'd be quite a catch.

As was the case for last year's contest, feel free to use the comments on this post to discuss strategy and help other along.

[Source: Volvo]

Volvo's Hunt is on! originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 May 2007 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Second Volvo Treasure Hunt set to start May 4th

John Neff — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 12:58:00 EST

Filed under: Contests, Etc., Volvo

We're fairly certain that the success of Volvo's first Treasure Hunt game, which was tied to the release of Disney's second Pirates of the Caribbean movie, took the swedish automaker by surprise. It certainly surprised us, as our initial post on the promotion racked up a record number of comments. Autoblog readers used the post as a common room to share tips and help others overcome the game's more difficult obstacles. All told, nearly 1,271 comments were left on that post.

With the third installment of Disney's swashbuckling franchise on the horizon, Volvo's ready to send our readers on another global hunt for treasure and the keys to a new XC90 SUV. This time, however, the treasure has not been buried on a sandy beach, but sits right now on the ocean floor somewhere. That's right, Volvo has placed a chest filled with $50,000 worth of actual gold in the ocean somewhere. Ballsy, we say. On May 4th, the hunt to find it will begin. You can preregister for the game here, and keep up with news at these two unofficial sites: The Hunt 2007 and Volvo The Hunt - 2007, the latter of which already has shots of the map you'll need to retrieve at a local Volvo dealership to begin the game. Just don't forget to skewer the sales guy with your cutlass on the way out. It's the pirate's way, after all.

[Source: Volvo]

Second Volvo Treasure Hunt set to start May 4th originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Apr 2007 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virginia man wins Volvo's XC90 treasure hunt

Alex Nunez — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 08:57:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Marketing/Advertising, Volvo

The Pirates of the Caribbean-themed Volvo XC90, that was buried as part of the automaker's treasure hunt/film tie-in, has a new owner.

David Hutz, 30, of Herndon, VA, and six other finalists were flown to Abaco Island in the Bahamas, where they competed in a group of Survivor-style challenges to complete the search. David was awarded the SUV after he had determined what its ultimate location was. Thankfully for him, he didn't need to dig it up himself. Assistants handled those duties on his behalf.

The V8-powered, movie-themed Volvo is valued at $82,000 and sports 20-inch custom wheels, a full Pirates of the Caribbean graphics package, black leather seating, a quad-tip Borla exhaust system, and numerous other upgrades. After learning that he was the winner, Hutz announced that he'd be giving the car to his wife, who will undoubtedly get right to work removing its way-over-the-top pirate graphics.

No need to fret for the other six finalists, when Volvo, in a surprise move, awarded each of them a new vehicle as well. Happy faces were all 'round.

Volvo was likely in a good mood, seeing as the contest drew very high interest from people around the world. The U.S. alone produced 52,000 participants, several of whom used Autoblog's comments section to share and trade info as they tried to solve the hunt's puzzles. As marketing efforts go, it's hard to think of this one as anything less than a resounding success.

If you just can't get enough of the hunt, Volvo will post Webisodes documenting the competition on August 25.

Related Posts:

(Press release after the jump)

[Source: Volvo]

Continue reading Virginia man wins Volvo's XC90 treasure hunt

Virginia man wins Volvo's XC90 treasure hunt originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Aug 2006 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volvo names treasure hunt finalists

Stuart Waterman — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 18:01:00 EST

Filed under: Contests, Etc., Volvo

Aar, maties! You can put yer pencils down, Volvo has named the finalists in the hunt for its buried "Pirates of the Caribbean"-themed XC90. The seven piratical finalists include four from the U.S. and one each from the U.K., Japan, Spain and Austria.

The four-week puzzle contest will wrap up in dramatic fashion August 6, when the finalists will be flown to an undisclosed location to compete face-to-face in the final leg of the treasure hunt, a two-day Survivor-like physical and mental test leading them to the Volvo's location. First to dig it up, keeps the car.

The winning pirate will be announced August 11, and Volvo will air a series of reality TV-style online broadcasts of the final competition starting August 24.

So, has the contest been a marketing success so far? Well, if the more than 1,200(!) comments to our original post about the contest are any indication, someone in Volvo's marketing department deserves a raise. In the U.S. alone, more than 52,000 wannabe pirates visited Volvo showrooms to pick up the contest treasure map. Yo-ho-ho!

[Source: Volvo]

Volvo names treasure hunt finalists originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Jul 2006 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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