NY Times reports:
HOW does a carmaker unlock the door to reaching distracted, elusive customers in an increasingly competitive category? Nissan North America is hoping the answer may lie with, um, keys.
For the promotion, 20,000 key rings will be deliberately “lost” in bars, concert halls, sports arenas and other public places in seven large markets.
Each key ring will have three keys, all real, and two tags. The biggest key resembles a car key and the other two look as if they could fit the locks on house or office doors.
One tag declares, “If found, please do not return,” because the Altima “has Intelligent Key with push-button ignition, and I no longer need these,” a reference to the technology that allows an Altima owner to start the car by pressing a button on the dash rather than inserting a key.
The same tag invites the finder to learn more about the ignition system by visiting a section of the Nissan Web site (nissanusa.com/altima).
The other tag, labeled “Gas Card,” resembles the plastic keychain devices for electronic payment sponsored by service stations like Exxon and Mobil. The tag offers the finder of the key ring a chance to enter a sweepstakes, either by sending text messages or visiting another Web site (altimakeys.com), which is to be available this week.