Apparently Arien O’Connell ran the fastest time in the recent Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco. But because she ran in a category she wasn’t supposed to, she wasn’t recognized as the winner. Nike days later awarded her the first place she had earned, but not before Reebok stepped in and gave her school in Brooklyn, (the Children Charter School), free shoes every month for a year, T-shirts for her class and $2,500 to the school. They also gave her a trophy — the F.U.N. Award. Sure Nike did the right thing in the end, but quick thinking on the part the marketing gang at Reebok side to jump on this. How cool is that, exploiting the negative space of another brand like that and being ready to take advantage of an unplanned event for your own brand.
