Free Money
Sure, we're being manipulated by Budget Rent A Car with its use of a blog in a viral marketing campaign that has readers scrambling toward Philadelphia to find a small piece of paper that is the holy grail of a cyber-scavenger hunt.
But if you find it, you'll pocket $10,000.
So let's get on with it.
Word of this contest comes from a pr sort named Karma Martell, who writes:
Up to 20,000 people an hour are "blogging in" to find video and written clues to a real-life treasure hunt, happening in 16 cities across America. According to the comments on the blog, it looks like Philadelphia is the East coast "it" city this week!
Indeed, the images in the video do look awfully familiar.
Go to Up Your Budget, and check out the latest clues and the video.
Read the rules. Each week a sticker is hidden in each of four cities. In each place, the final clue is a sticker hidden in public. Each sticker bears a telephone number. The winner must call the number then upload a video or picture of him or herself and the sticker at the location the sticker is hidden, within 24 hours. Budget counsels: Do not trespass on private property.
So far, they've given away $110,000.
UPDATE: Treasure found in Northern Liberties.