Pain-relief brand Goody’s took over the notorious 20th mile of a marathon with a brand experience designed to relieve runners’ pain, without even giving them a pain-relief product. Mile 20 of a marathon is known as “the wall” — it’s the point of a marathon where runners find themselves at their physical limits and mental breaking points. The problem is that painkillers during a race are strongly discouraged because it can overwhelm the kidneys. When pain is at its peak, runners can’t turn to the obvious solution. But an interesting fact opened a better solution: Smiling is actually scientifically proven to reduce pain. So Goody’s made runners smile—by putting a smile on their face, literally. At the 20th mile, Goody’s unveiled the ‘Smile 20’ experience: a massive digital billboard powered by real-time facial tracking that turned each runner’s pained grimace into a hilarious, exaggerated smile. The irony of runners seeing themselves with a goofy, exaggerated smile got them to smile for real. It caught them off guard, helped reduce their pain, and even got them to run faster. After the race, runners were invited to a microsite to find and share their personal Smile 20 footage, turning this personalized interaction into an ongoing moment of brand connection. The Smile 20 experience was a tangible and shareable illustration of the Goody’s commitment to pain relief: Even when runners can’t use the product, the brand is still there to help.