Unlock Your Own 2011 Scion tC On A New, Virtual Road Trip

Road trips, scavenger hunts, missions, adventures: these are all things that kids love. So it's no surprise that Scion -- which boasts some of the youngest buyers of any automaker in the U.S. -- has developed an online game that uses each of those elements to promote the all new, 2011 Scion tC.

The game is called "Unlock the tC" -- a fairly nice pun that manages to envelop both games and cars. The gist is fairly simple: over the course of eight weeks, contestants will carry out a cross-country virtual road trip, "motoring" from New York City to Los Angeles and hitting eight major cities along the way. There are "fun 'side-trips'" along the way, and just as in other online games (and soon, Facebook), there are opportunities to earn virtual money that can be spent within the game to personalize your ride. That cash -- called, tCoins -- is "earned by inviting friends to join the adventure", which is also known as enlarging Scion's audience. As you might imagine, "Unlock the tC" heavily incorporates both Facebook and Twitter.

During the competition, Scion will dole out prizes -- 140 each day, in fact. Those include "Flip MinoHD camcorders (60 min.), Slingbox SOLOs, X-mini Capsule Speakers (2), Numark TTUSB Turntables with USB, Nintendo DSi with Korg DS-10+ sets and Scion tC Prize Packs", which says more about Scion's target market than the game itself. At the end of the eight weeks, four finalists will be selected and flown to Los Angeles to participate in a VIP showdown. One of those folks will walk out with a real 2011 tC.

From where we sit, "Unlock the tC" looks a lot like Ford's Fiesta Movement, the major difference being that it's open to anyone, not just 100 or so hipsters who've pled their case online. That makes "Unlock the tC" feel a bit more democratic -- although we'd wager that the four finalists are likely to be the popular kids again (i.e. the ones with the largest social networks). But then, life ain't fair.

"Unlock the tC" doesn't begin until June 1 (and the 2011 tC itself won't debut until fall), but you can preregister for the game today at UnlockThetC.com. If you're iterested in owning a tC, win or lose, note the opt-in checkbox at the bottom of the registration page that will allow a dealer to contact you about taking a ride when the cars arrive on lots this fall.

For a little more info, check out the Scion press release below. And may the best, most popular virtual driver win.

SOURCE: http://www.thecarconnection.com/