General Motors' OnStar

General Motors' OnStar

OnStar Black Friday promotion

OnStar Black Friday promotion

All amped up for those post-Turkey Day sales but not exactly sure where all your favorite stores are while visiting the in-laws? Well, if you're a GM driver--in an OnStar-equipped vehicle--you're in luck. GM is offering free OnStar turn-by-turn directions on Black Friday for all OnStar-equipped vehicles, whether they're subscribed or not.

To take advantage of the offer all vehicle owners have to do is press the button, ask for directions, and follow the prompts, just like a subscriber would.

The promotion is obviously a way to reach directly into drivers' lives and demonstrate the OnStar subscription benefits that they're missing out on. And it sounds like a fairly effective demonstration, at first blush anyway.

On the other hand, those same drivers presumably got a free year-long demonstration when they bought the vehicle. So it's not entirely clear whether GM is trying to recapture subscribers that have lapsed, or whether the program is more intended for the passengers in their cars, potential non-GM owners that might be converted, or general media exposure of their turn-by-turn capability.

Whatever the reason, it befits the season, so get your free OnStar turn-by-turn if you can.

[OnStar via Facebook]