New Dodge ad contest: Find hidden Journey, it's yours

An ad push for the 2012 Dodge Journey features clues to three Journeys hidden around the U.S.: Find one first and it's yours.

Starting today, clues can be found in new commercials on TV and online at www.youtube.com/Dodge, including the video above.

The effort touts the Journey as a "Search Engine for the Real World" -- a perfect ride for adventures. It also highlights the new trim that cuts Journey's base price by $3,250 to $19,745 with shipping (details in a post here).

"The Dodge Journey is the 'Swiss Army knife' of vehicles," Reid Bigland, Dodge brand CEO said in a statement. "America's most versatile crossover is also now the most affordable in its class."

The otherwise cleverly designed crossover got off to a slow start in 2008, thanks to a Cerberus/Chrysler cheap interior and coarse powertrain, But it got one of Fiat/Chrysler's classy interior makeovers for 2011, along with a 283-horsepower version of the sweet Pentastar V-6. The redone 2011 finished 2nd out of of 9 in the USA TODAY/Cars.com Shootout for affordable crossovers last winter (here).

A Fiat-badged version is beating sales expectations in Europe, and the new marketing and aggressive pricing indicates Chrysler has higher hopes here. With the 2011 model closing out, Dodge has sold 36,304 this year, up 6%, compared with a 10.5% industry sales rise, tallies the DetroitFree Press.

The first TV ad shows three Journeys on adventures -- with kayakers, friends on a road trip and a camping family -- heading to a "beautiful location" where they now sit waiting for you. The video below tells how to play.

The sites are one each in the West, Midwest and East. More TV ads in the next two weeks will offer specific clues and more clues are on YouTube, plus there's (we love this part) a live, 24/7 video feed of the hidden Journeys.

The contest ends Sept. 27 and is open to U.S. residents old enough to join the Army or buy cigarettes.