^^
thats bluelighters for u.
i just think its a damn good way to flog Nike. u gotta admit, comps like these always attract a lot of attention.
anyone heard about the Canadian Club hunt?? (i'll go do some research right now and get back to ya!)
ok here it is....
The Hiram Walker company, which distributes Canadian Club, has always pursued the macho line in its promotion of the brand. Oldtimers may recall the ads of the early 60s, in which various desperadoes would perform (or claim to perform) some act of suicidal bravery, such as wrestling with a shark, after which they would retire to the lounge for a soothing jolt of Canadian Club. By such means, Canadian Club was associated in the public mind with the notion of deranged recklessness. This was thought to sell whiskey, in some unaccountable manner.
The treasure hunt campaign was an extension of this line of thinking. When the project was first launched in 1967, the cases were planted in exotic locales like Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Angel Falls in Venezuela. In the beginning Hiram Walker did not seriously expect anyone to actually go and look for the stuff. The Mt. Kilimanjaro case, in fact, was not discovered until the mid-70s, when a Danish journalist stumbled over it while on an expedition searching for lost children or some such thing.
However, it swiftly became clear that there were any number of well-to-do guppies out there who were willing to frivol away their fortunes looking for a crate of hootch. The case buried near Angel Falls, for example, was found by a young hero on his honeymoon. The little lady had the idea they were going to go to Acapulco until they get on board the plane, when she learned otherwise. I am sure the idea of gamboling through the swamps being eaten by jungle vermin struck her as extremely romantic.
The original promotion concluded in 1971, but was resurrected in 1975, or thereabouts. In the second version it was intended that most of the cases would be found eventually, so they were generally hidden somewhat closer to hand, e.g., near the reputed site of the Lost Dutchman Mine in Arizona, in Death Valley, and so forth. The depositing of the case was coupled with heavy regional advertising to stir up the interest of the locals. Consequently most of the cases didn't stay hidden very long. The box in Arizona was found in about a week; a case hidden atop a skyscraper in New York, a much less hospitable locale, eluded searchers for 13 weeks.
Still, some of the whiskey will probably never be found. A case dumped off in the Arctic is thought to have passed forever beyond the ken of man, what with blizzards and ice movements and whatnot.
The Hiram Walker people finally tired of the "Hide-A-Case" campaign, and retired it in 1981. In all, 22 cases were hidden during the period 1967-1981; 16 were found in fairly short order and a few others may have drifted in since. Sure, it was all a silly gimmick, but Canadian Club advertising to my mind has never been as memorable since. Bring back the hidden cases.
--CECIL ADAMS
http://www.title14.com/cc/system/index.pl/weirdness
hmmmmm.....