Well, maybe I am. Thank you Continental Airlines for giving out these lovely wrappers to everyone as we cross the finish line.
Of special note for all you techies out there. The orange tag on my running shoe is an RFID tag. It makes it possible to track each runner along the course. The results were posted real time so that you can follow your friends and family along the way. Very cool.
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Narrative Branding ® 
congrats on your run, randy!
my question is….what impact did continental/their wrappers have on you? does their sponsorship of the marathon and these wrappers add to their brand narrative? i’m eager to hear your pov!
It made me feel much warmer about Continental. I’m already a fan of the airline, so that was adding another sense that they care about people. Each time the company does something unexpected, it adds a deeper layer to their narrative.
And I drink Poland Springs, so hooray for them. I even bought some Asics clothes in part to say “thank you” for supporting the NYC marathon. Okay, I bought a lot of their clothes when I was at the marathon expo. They’ve got great shirts and hats and I love their running gloves.
These days I am becoming a big believer in companies using sponsorships in a very strategic and targeted way. Go grass roots, get involved in the communities to make a deeper connection. I can’t turn the page or change the channel when a person walks by with a Continental Airlines wrapper. It makes an impression that is hard to measure but also impossible to replicate in traditional or even digital media.