GREENVILLE, S.C.—It may not rival “Where's Waldo?” in popularity, but “Michelin's Quest for Adventure” could generate some buzz for the brand as consumers are challenged to go “geocaching” to find 1,500 hidden Bibendum-tagged tire gauges throughout the U.S.
The Quest for Adventure is a contest crafted by Michelin North America Inc. to mark the 125th anniversary of the founding of what now is its parent company.
The Quest challenges individuals to find one of nearly 1,500 Michelin Man tire pressure gauges hidden across the U.S. and then share their most creative, adventure-inspired photo on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the campaign's hashtag #MichelinQuest.
The submitters of the 10 best photos will win a set of Michelin passenger car or light truck tires worth up to $1,000 and will be eligible to win all-expenses-paid trip for two to one of five destinations: a fine dining experience in New York, San Francisco or Chicago in connection with the release of the Michelin Guide for those cities, or attend the inaugural-season Formula E race for electric race cars in either Miami or Los Angeles.
The contest runs Sept. 8 through Dec. 31, open to U.S residents age 18 and older.
“We are thrilled to partner with the geocaching community here in the United States to mark the 125th anniversary of the founding of Michelin,” said Jennifer Smith, director of brands for Michelin North America.
“Geocaching combines ingenuity, a passion for exploration and the outdoors with a mindfulness of the environment. These are the same values that run through the core of Michelin's business and have remained that way for more than a century now.”
Michelin is the successor to the bicycle tire company founded in 1889 by brothers Édouard and Andre Michelin.
To commemorate this anniversary, Michelin North America is encouraging people to travel in search of the famous Michelin Man in order to win prizes.
In the first phase of the contest, geocachers voluntarily are distributing the 1,500 Michelin Man tire gauge trackables—each with a unique alphanumeric code—throughout the U.S. Within days, all trackables should be hidden and logged.
To participate, users can create a free account on Geocaching.com, and use a GPS device or smartphone and navigate to a Michelin Man trackable in a geocache nearby.
Once discovered, participants should record their find with an original, creative picture, Michelin said, then log the find and share the photo on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the #MichelinQuest tag.
