Anyone seen my keys? Check with Nissan

At least they're not mocking men or making light of depressed robots. Nissan's latest marketing effort for the Altima has the auto company messing with patrons of entertainment venues. 200,000 sets of faux keys will be planted in clubs, bars, concert venues, and other congregation locations. The way the ruse works is that someone picks up the keys, and takes in a tidy little marketing message about the Altima's keyless ignition as they read the keychain. It's a great example of thinking outside of the box by agency True. It was also reportedly cheap, ringing in at a cool 100 grand. That sounds like a lot of money, but the cheapest TV commercial costs more to produce and air at an effective frequency. Hopefully the general public delights in being fooled; the prizes you can register for at Altimakeys.com or by texting "keys" to the number on the tag will likely help goodwill. It'll be interesting to see what kind of uproar it will inevitably cause - People For The Ethical Treatment of Keys? Perhaps a Boston-style overreaction will ensue? We just wish that they were keys to real Altimas. Giving away free cars, now there's a campaign we can get behind.

[Source: Winding Road]