Nissan Test-Drives Newly Funded Scvngr

Scvngr finished 2010 with a flurry of activity, including deals with notable brands and an integration strategy with Facebook Places. And after announcing a new campaign with Nissan and a round of funding in the last two days, it doesn’t appear to be letting up in the new year.

The Cambridge, MA-based company debuted the Nissan initiative – dubbed “Juke the City” – on its blog yesterday. The carmaker is looking to target young adults via the location-based service while promoting its “Juke,” a compact car, which seems to be Nissan’s most-recent answer to the United Kingdom’s Mini Cooper.

For the campaign, Scvngr users in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles can be entered into a drawing for a free Juke (priced at $19,000) by checking in via the service’s “Rewards” platform. They can also accrue points to earn smaller prizes like free iPods and cameras by checking in at 20 locations in each city.

Here is a trio of games that are part of the “Juke the City” program:

• Scvngr users can earn three points by playing “Juke Box,” which entails flipping through the records on a juke box and naming a favorite “driving tune.”
• In a game called “Try Everything,” they can earn two points for serving up plates – tapas style – while eating at a restaurant and taking a photo of the table.
• By playing “Think Small,” players can earn three points by snapping a 1-centimeter portion of a mural at one of the 20 local places.

Meanwhile, earlier today, Scvngr said it raised $15 million in a round of funding led by Europe-based venture capital firm Balderton Capital. Existing investors, Google Ventures and Highland Capital Partners, are also participating, according to the company. In addition, Barry Maloney, partner at Balderton, will join Scvngr’s board of directors.

According to a Mashable report, CEO Seth Priebatsch, 22, said the venture cash will be used to expand his company’s team, create new platforms, and ramp up research and product development.