Marketers say 'tanks' for buying with gifts of gas

— -- With the economy in the slow lane, a growing range of businesses are using free fuel to try to drive sales.

"The price of gas is a concern for everybody," Callaway spokeswoman Michele Szynal says. "If people are considering buying a non-essential product like a golf club, this helps ease the guilt."

The promotions come as the pain at the pump is averaging almost $4 a gallon nationally.

The less-conventional tie-ins come as more directly fuel-dependent businesses — such as car sellers and tourist destinations — are using gasoline as a marketing tool.

Chrysler, for example, recently extended its "Let's Refuel America" promotion until July. It offers car buyers gas cards good for a fixed price of $2.99 per gallon for up to 12,000 miles a year for three years.

Among companies going for more marketing mileage from gas:

• Popular Mechanics. The magazine put its own spin on parent Hearst's $250,000 sweepstakes to increase subscriptions at its publications, labeling it "free gas for life."

This is "an effective way to draw readers into the magazine while also addressing a real and timely concern," publisher Bill Congdon says.

• Rockland, Maine, inns. Berry Manor Inn, Captain Lindsey House and LimeRock Inn are offering "No Fueling Around" packages of a free auto tune-up with a three-night midweek stay. While guests relax, a local mechanic will give cars a new air filter, a fuel-injection cleaning and tire pressure check to help increase fuel efficiency.