We created a game called ‘Streetseekers’ that allowed Facebook users to navigate their way through a version of StreetView that had been coded into the Citroën UK Facebook page. The game was a treasure hunt through the world of StreetView with the first person to find a virtual DS3 winning the car for real. The game commenced once a DS3 had been ‘dropped’ in the StreetView world, followed by the release of a series of cryptic clues hinting at its whereabouts. The integration of Google StreetView with Facebook in this way was a global first, with the technical build of the ‘Streetseekers’ API requiring input from Google’s engineering team based in California. The competition was supported by blogger outreach and Facebook activity as well as targeted commuter press activity, while Facebook Connect allowed entrants to notify their friends that they had cracked a clue, inviting them to join in.

DS3 secured 8% market share in the supermini category at the expense of Mini and the Fiat 500. 65,000 people played ‘Streetseekers’ with the average participant taking 55 steps through the StreetView world. With online automotive research and advocacy becoming increasingly important for new car buyers, Streetseekers has helped Citroën UK become the fourth-largest UK motor manufacturer in social media (despite being the 11th biggest in terms of sales), generating over half the current 22,000 Facebook likes for Citroën UK. This is ten times more fans than recruited by Fiat 500 and within striking distance of Mini UK (23,000 likes).