DiVinci meets Google

Google on Monday began a marketing promotion with Sony's Columbia Pictures designed to build excitement for next month's release of The Da Vinci Code while introducing users to less popular Google products.

The Da Vinci Code promotion lets fans of the Dan Brown book download a puzzle program to their Google personalized home page. For three-plus weeks, they are given clues to solve daily puzzles, designed by Google's product team. In addition to the personalized home page, the puzzle will involve users in other Google products, such as Google SMS, Google Maps and Google Video.

Fans that choose to receive the puzzle have it appear in an ad unit on their personalized Google home page. A different puzzle will be introduced for 24 days leading up to The Da Vinci Code's release on May 19. Those solving all 24 days of puzzles will be eligible for a final round of puzzle challenges that will award the winner a variety of prizes.