I had an interesting exchange just now with John at Hella Sound over at Brian Morrissey's blog (yes, the conversation about the Nike Human Race Fiasco is still going on - and aside of being an awesome case study in a brand PR, it is also contains some great marketing insights). In any event, John assessed that "[you] make some valid points about consumerism, but I think what you're saying is passing through an idyllic fantasy vision of what a "real" runner is." I would be totally ready to agree with him (truth being that i do tend to have idyllic view of the world), if my comments weren't based on some actual experiences (my own, and other people's). And ignoring those experiences reveals a too-well-known marketing perspective that is focused way too much on the brand and its products, and not enough on people's experience with the actual activity [in this case, running]. The brand cares less about *people-as-runners* and people's *running experience*, and more about *people-as-consumers* and *running-as-a brand-experience*. The point being, our running experience equals what we are wearing. Experience is more than sum of its parts. And, obviously, the missing link in brand's marketing thinking. As the Nike Human Race had shown.