Starbucks Uses Trivia and Texting in Scavenger Hunt

Starbucks is sending consumers on a scavenger hunt via their mobile phones

Starbucks is out with an interactive scavenger hunt that will get consumer texting on their cell phones for a chance to win a trip to Costa Rica.

In its first-ever mobile scavenger hunt, Starbucks is giving consumers a chance to prove their mettle solving a series of text messages around Starbucks trivia. Consumer can play the Starbucks Summer Pursuit, which kicked off Monday, by registering online at StarbucksSummer.com or by texting the word "Summer" to 66268 to. Once registered, players receive text clues on their cell phones.

Consumers answer the trivia questions about the summertime season and Starbucks sending text messages or pictures via their mobile phones. As part of the experience, players can contact other participants by posting messages and pictures about their game experiences at StarbucksSummer.com.

For every question answered, players are entered into a sweepstakes for a chance to play the Ultimate Scavenger Hunt in New York City. In September, five winners and their guests will meet in New York City to compete in the hunt, a two-day challenge. The team that solves the most clues and proves to be the most successful adventurers will win a grand-prize trip to Costa Rica.

"Starbucks has been a strong advocate for technology since introducing Wi-Fi into our stores in 2001," said Brad Stevens, Starbucks VP-marketing for retail North America, in a statement. "As our customers continue to incorporate new technologies into their lives, we want to extend and adapt the Starbucks experience accordingly in ways that will surprise and delight them."

The scavenger hunt runs through Aug. 11. Online materials support. Marden-Kane, Inc., Manhasset, NY, handles.

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