Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
DETROIT - If clicking on the laptop to play a game of solitaire or work a sudoku puzzle is your idea of relaxation - after dinner or between meetings - then the Chrysler Group thinks you might like its new Sebring sedan.
The Auburn Hills, Mich.-based automaker has introduced an online game called Sebring Semantics, a subtle advertisement intended for one of the largest groups of online gamers: women between 35 and 54.
The target buyer for the newly restyled sedan is a female in her 30s, 40s and 50s. She makes $60,000 or more each year. And she's married.
"The women we're targeting don't consider themselves gamers. They just take a little break from the day with a quick fun puzzle game," said Kendra Wright, president of Gamebrander, a division of Wright Strategies, the company that developed the game for Chrysler.
So, with hopes of entertaining potential buyers while telling them about the features on the new Sebring, and perhaps eventually making a sale, Chrysler hired the company in Austin, Texas, to build something called an advergame for that very group.
The game, available at www.sebringsemantics.com, is a word jumble.
First, players choose a style of music they'd like to listen to while they play - rock, classical, R&B and Latin are among the choices - then they're given six letters, several blanks for words and two minutes to fill in the blanks.
At the end of each round, the player receives a score. Going on to play higher levels can boost your score.
Playing more rounds exposes players to more information about the Sebring. Between rounds, screens pop up promoting features on the car, everything from the temperature settings for the heated and cooled cup holders to a video showing off the stain-resistant upholstery.
If players want to know more or test-drive a Sebring, all they have to do is click on one of several "learn more about Sebring" buttons that will take them straight to the Chrysler Sebring Web page.
Each time players advance to another level, they have the opportunity to see how their score compares to other players' and to create a league to play with friends.
And each time players forwards the game to someone they know, they're helping Chrysler get the word out about the new Sebring.
"Women are more into social game playing," Wright said. "The Sebring is more targeted toward women. So we developed leagues. You can compare your scores. You can play together."
The idea is to get people to keep playing and returning to the site, so they'll pass the site on to friends and family who also will visit and be exposed to information about the car.
In the first month the game was up and running, before Chrysler started the marketing efforts in earnest, more than 50,000 visitors played, and the average player spent 22 minutes at the site.
---
(c) 2006, Detroit Free Press. Distributed by Mclatchy-Tribune News Service.
