(IRVINE, Calif., April 18, 2007) - As excitement builds for the final installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean blockbuster trilogy, due out May 25th, the blogosphere is ablaze with more than just plot guesses and "is Captain Jack Sparrow going to make it?" chatter. The real mystery making bloggers restless and keeping keyboards buzzing is this: what's going on with this year's Volvo treasure hunt?
Last summer, Volvo's online hunt for real treasure¾a buried Volvo XC90 SUV tricked out Pirates of the Caribbean-style - drew more than 100,000 participants from around the world. Since then, thousands of would-be treasure hunters have been eagerly awaiting news of this year's hunt. Volvo is staying quiet, except for one email sent earlier this month inviting past participants to register for the hunt this May. The email was met with enthusiasm at thehunt07.spaces.live.com:
"Wow! That's all I can say. I have been kicking myself for months for not solving it correctly. Thank goodness for redemption...Arrrrrrrrrr!"
"I can't wait fer another chance at the booty! Bring it on, Volvo!"
"High Tide is comin'! Get ready to set sail!!!! We're goin' on a Voyage to find the TREASURE!"
Initial excitement has turned to speculation, with many bloggers urging Volvo to reveal when the hunt will begin and what booty's at stake this year. In response to Volvo's silence, some bloggers have started their own clue-busting mission to find out more about the hunt, posting lost footage from last year's hunt, uncovering details about the agency working on the puzzles and finding out what hunt urls have been registered, when and by whom.
"We love the hunt blogs, it's so exciting for us to see how revved up people are for this year's hunt," said a representative from Volvo Cars, who would prefer to stay anonymous at this stage of the game. "But we're taking no chances this year and we're keeping our cards close to our chest - we know how talented and dedicated our treasure hunters are from our experience of last year's hunt. All I can say is, be patient. We're putting the final touches on plot twists and high seas trickery. You'll hear soon enough and you won't be disappointed."
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Top unofficial Volvo treasure hunt blogs:
Thehunt07.spaces.live.com
http://prometheusdigital.com/potc3
Media contact:
Kim McMartin
Haberman & Associates
612-372-6464
kim@habermaninc.com.
