Product Placement on Chilean Miners

http://www.geek.com/articles/gadgets/chilean-miners-get-sunglasses

It is a beautiful day today here in Flint. All of this sun reminded me of one of my favorite product placements. You probably remember last year when a group of miners in Chile got trapped inside their mine.

Did anyone notice what they were wearing when they were rescued? Oakley sunglasses!

Because they were in the mine for so long, their eyes had become accustomed to the darkness and needed protection as they adjusted to the light again.

I loved this product placement / pr effort! The reason that I think I love it so much is because I really don't know if I would have thought of this opportunity on my own.

As it turns out...Oakley didn't think of it either. They were approached by a journalist who suggested that they help out the rescue team. Of course they jumped on the chance for this type of publicity and donated 35 pairs of specially designed sunglasses. There were two different models of sunglasses and each one retails for $180. In the end, Oakley was able to take advantage of a great product placement opportunity and also help a few people in need.

http://brandsandfilms.com/2010/10/chilean-miners-wear-oakley-sunglasses/