Garmin teaser campaign, August 2011

Garmin teaser campaign, August 2011

Garmin has launched a new teaser campaign via email and Facebook, and because it's a slow news day, our crack team of marketing specialists has decided to take some guesses at what all the fuss is about.

So far, it appears that Garmin's campaign has two components: an email containing an image that reads, "Reimagined. Redesigned. Ready to move you. 08.24.2011", and a video that the company has posted only to its Facebook page. Unfortunately, the folks at Garmin don't seem to understand that Facebook videos can't be shared outside of Facebook, and the company hasn't yet bothered to upload the clip to any of its half-dozen YouTube pages, so if you want to watch it, you'll have to click through.

For those not feeling that adventurous, the video is called "Paper Work", and it features a humdrum-looking laser printer cranking out bland sheets of directions, while a voiceover actress with a Midwestern twang talks about the high cost of printer ink and alludes to the damage caused by deforestation. In other words, it sounds like Garmin is going digital.

Which is a little confusing, because Garmin's services are typically offered via an electronic display -- either on a dash unit, a smartphone, or tablet computer. Here are our two best guesses at what Garmin is hinting at:

1. Garmin is finally launching an Android version of its StreetPilot app, which is currently available only for Apple and Windows devices, despite the fact that Android now dominates the smartphone market. Nice timing.

2. Garmin is launching a full-service travel concierge service to compete with similar telematics offerings -- especially OnStar FMV.

Other, less-plausible possibilities for the "Ready to move you" campaign include:

3. Garmin will launch a music-sharing site dedicated solely to road trip tunes. As long as they've got Giorgio Moroder, we're in.

4. Garmin is opening a series of trendy nightclubs to get the attention of hipsters in bustling auto markets. Which is great news for clubgoers in China.

5. Switzerland's Garmin is buying Norway's bankrupt automaker Think. Hey, if it worked for chocolate-covered lingonberries, it can work for this match-up, too.

6. Garmin is partnering with Zipcar to roll out a fleet of moving vans. The vehicles will be a couple of years old and out of date, and you'll have to pay through the nose to use them, but on the upside...well, there is no upside.

That probably covers all the possible bases, but if you think we missed one, feel free to drop us a note in the comments below or post it to our Facebook page