• The New York Times, Thursday, July 12, 2007 1 PM

Trying to attract a younger customer, the consumer care division of Bayer HealthCare is starting an online game today for Aleve Liquid Gels. By visiting www.aleviator.com, Internet users will be able to follow a fictional storyline that leads them through a series of clues, taking them in and out of social networking sites, wikis and blogs.

For each person who clicks through to the end of the game--which takes at least a minute--Bayer will make a donation of $5 to $10 to the Conservation Fund, an environmental nonprofit group. The campaign does not tell people that a donation will be made if they follow all the clues. Bayer hopes people will enjoy the game and spread the word virally.

The gimmick is intended to get people in the 25-to-49 age group to notice Aleve, a pain medicine that was introduced 13 years ago and is used mostly by people over 50 to relieve symptoms typically associated with aging, like arthritis and back pain. The Liquid Gel version, which was introduced in March, targets younger adults with pre-arthritic conditions, such as sports pain.

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