• by Karl Greenberg , February 9, 2007

It worked in the Super Bowl. Now Jeep hopes to pitch its new compact crossover vehicle to younger buyers with a promotion centered on consumer-generated content.

To pitch the $15,000 Patriot, which went on sale late last year, the Chrysler Group division has inked a deal with Marvel Comics, centering on the development of a consumer-generated online comic strip, "The Patriot Factor."

Consumers who visit a new site, www.patriotadventure.com, can propose action and dialogue for various panels of the comic strip, says Jeep.

The company says whoever's story lines are picked will get the original illustrated panel. He or she will also be listed as author in the print version. Jeep will also give the first 100,000 registrants a copy of the 28-page comic.

According to Jeep, the urban caper--involving a musician and his friends--will mirror the kind of product integration automakers have been doing in movies for the past few years: more than product placement, but less than obvious advertising.

The vehicle's features and capabilities will become plot devices to assist the heroes.

Nissan and GM's OnStar are among the brands that have used comics to market their cars.