Zipcar unleashes groundhog in Boston in Groundhog Day stunt

Zipcar, a global car-sharing company known for its imaginative PR stunts, is unleashing a groundhog in Boston today. The stunt is part of the company’s national #DontHibernate campaign, which encourages people to break their winter routines and get outside.

Gladys the groundhog, not to be confused with Ms. G, the official state groundhog of Massachusetts, will be coming out of her den in Zipcar’s Boston headquarters today at 10am, the same time Ms. G will be waking from her winter hibernation.

If Gladys sees her shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter and if she doesn’t, there will be an early spring. Either way, Gladys will be scurrying around Boston throughout the day, encouraging people to come out of hibernation alongside her. She’ll spend the day commuting at rush hour, shopping around downtown Boston, walking through the park, and watching ice skaters in the Boston Common.

A national Instagram contest will land one lucky winner with a $100 Visa gift card and $100 in Zipcar cash to help break their indoor routines. To participate in the contest, Instagrammers must visit Zipcar’s Instagram page and tag a friend who also needs a little encouragement to get outside using #DontHibernate. Instagrammers will also be able to choose where Gladys should go on her post-hibernation adventures through Zipcar’s Instagram stories.