Thursday 14th April 2005
The Pontiac Solstice Roadster, a new two-door sports car from General Motors retailing for approximately $20,000, was featured on the reality TV game show “The Apprentice,” starring the famously bombastic businessman Donald Trump. For the Pontiac cross-promotion, an advertisement about the Solstice ran during the April 14th episode, directing viewers to a Web site where they could register to purchase one of the first 1,000 vehicles. The cars, which featured special “First 1,000” plates, sold out in 41 minutes. In addition to the ad, the Solstice was featured prominently in the episode itself, as the centrepiece of a competition in which two teams of contestants were required to create a promotional brochure for the new vehicle. Pontiac executives judged the results and one member of the winning team was awarded her own Solstice. After the show aired, more than 650 Pontiac dealers in 47 states took orders for the Solstice and some 4,000 people were put on a waiting list, according to Automotive Digest.
