Chocolate Lovers Invited to Compete for a Sweet Prize to Celebrate Sweetest Day

More than seven in 10 Americans, or 71 percent, believe anything is better when it’s covered in chocolate¹. To prove just how “sweet” our nation’s “sweet tooth” is, Jeep_® is challenging seven consumers to find the "sweet spot" on a Jeep for the chance to win an all-new 2008 Jeep Liberty.

Timed to coincide with the 85th anniversary of Sweetest Day and to celebrate the arrival of the 2008 Jeep Liberty in dealer showrooms, seven lucky consumers will be selected to participate in the “Sweetest Day the Jeep Way” challenge on Oct. 18 in Cleveland. The Jeep brand is inviting contestants to lick their way through one of seven chocolate-covered Jeep vehicles, representing each of the models in the brand’s lineup. The first two participants to lick their way through the layers of chocolate will make their way to the Jeep Liberty, filled with wrapped chocolate and candies, in search for the keys to an all-new 2008 Jeep Liberty 4x4 with a Sky Slider™ roof.

“With the growing popularity of Sweetest Day, the Jeep brand wants to give consumers the opportunity to celebrate ‘Sweetest Day the Jeep Way.’ Jeep vehicles love to get dirty, but instead of covering the vehicles in mud, we’re going to cover them in chocolate and let participants have fun getting the chocolate off. The prize – an all-new 2008 Jeep Liberty,” said John Plecha, Director -- Jeep Brand Marketing and Global Communications. “With the launch of the Liberty, the Jeep product line has grown from three vehicles to seven in less than two years. Like a box of chocolates, we think there is now a perfect Jeep for everyone.”

Sign Up for a Sweet Treat
Individuals interested in celebrating Sweetest Day the Jeep Way can register for a chance to participate online at www.SweetestDayTheJeepWay.com, beginning Sept. 18 at 12:01 a.m. (EDT) until Oct. 11 at 5 p.m. (EDT). All participants must be 18 years or older with a valid driver’s license and must be legal residents of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky, Pennsylvania or West Virginia.

During registration, participants will be asked to submit a 250-word essay answering the question, “Why do you want to celebrate Sweetest Day the Jeep Way?” From all the entries received, seven contestants will be selected to participate in the “Sweetest Day the Jeep Way” challenge.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland to Benefit
To make things a bit “sweeter” for boys and girls in the Cleveland area, the Chrysler Foundation has pledged to donate $7,000 – $1,000 for each of the vehicles in the Jeep lineup – to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland during the Sweetest Day the Jeep Way event. The money will be used to continue the organization's mission to inspire and empower all youth, with special concern for those from disadvantaged circumstances, to achieve their full potential in a positive, safe and fun environment.

Scoop on Sweetest Day
According to a national survey conducted by the Jeep brand, 67 percent of Americans do not know the history behind Sweetest Day. In fact, the survey results revealed:

• The Sweet Spot: Only one in three adults are aware that Sweetest Day was founded by candy makers in Cleveland as an act of goodwill.
• Chocolate Covered Confusion: Nearly one in five adults (20 percent) mistakenly believe that Sweetest Day was founded by greeting card manufacturers, while 13 percent believe it was founded by a floral company.
• Nuts About Chocolate: Forty-six percent of Americans agree that nuts are their favorite chocolate-covered food.

About the Jeep Brand
The Jeep brand has expanded to seven nameplates in the 2007 model year, the most available to retail consumers at one time in the brand’s 66-year history. With the introduction of the all-new 2008 Jeep Liberty mid-size sport-utility vehicle (SUV), Jeep offers customers the freshest, most capable and widest range of sport-utility vehicles under one brand in the industry.

At the start of 2004, the brand’s trio of tough, capable, rugged SUVs included the venerable Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Liberty (Cherokee outside North America) and the icon of the brand, the Jeep Wrangler. In 2005, the Jeep Commander was introduced. In 2006, the redesigned Jeep Wrangler was unveiled. Also debuting in calendar year 2006 were three more all-new Jeep vehicles: Jeep Patriot, Jeep Compass and the four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited.

About the 2008 Jeep Liberty
Jeep Liberty has remained a leader in the mid-size sport-utility vehicle (SUV) segment since its introduction in 2002. All-new from the ground up for 2008, the Jeep Liberty remains true to its legendary 4x4 heritage by offering two Jeep Trail Rated® four-wheel-drive systems – Command-Trac® and the all-new Selec-Trac® II. The Liberty’s exterior has been redesigned, and takes on a more rugged, classic Jeep look. Making its world debut is the new Sky Slider™ full-length open canvas roof, an industry-exclusive – giving the Liberty that “Have Fun Out There” open-air Jeep brand experience. The starting Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of the all-new 2008 Jeep Liberty is $20,990, including destination charge.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland began operations in 1954 as part of a national youth development movement consisting of Boys & Girls Clubs of America with 4,000 local organizations that collectively serve more than 4.5 million young people. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland is an organization that stands for traditional values, while providing progressive programs that address the problems faced by the youth of today, including substance abuse, teen pregnancy, gangs and violence. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland has served the community for over 50 years and today reaches out to more than 4,000 children and families. 

 ¹These results are based on 1,000 telephone interviews with American adults, 18 years of age and older from the US Express omnibus survey conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs. Interviews were conducted between August 28th and August 30th, 2007. The final data are statistically weighted to reflect the actual age and gender of the U.S. population and are balanced by region.

With a sample of 1,000, one can say with 95% certainty that the overall results are within ±3.1 percentage points of what they would have been had the entire U.S. population been surveyed. The margin of error will be larger for sub-groupings of the survey population.