You might've been biting your nails, waiting and watching as the 33 Chilean miners finally emerged from the dark. A strange and long saga with a romantic twist that couldn't have been scripted, the conclusion of the story baffled folks glued to their cable television as Oakley immediately swooped in to, er, protect the Chileans vulnerable eyes from the light.

I can see Adbusters foaming at the mouth. MSNBC reported that the sunglasses cost $280 a pair, but other outlets, including CNBC report $450. From CNBC:

In worldwide television impact alone, Oakley garnered $41 million in equivalent advertising time, according to research done for CNBC from Front Row Analytics, a sponsorship evaluation firm...Front Row broke the exposure down by country. Oakley will get the most exposure in China ($11.7 million), $6.4 million in the United States, $898,000 in the United Kingdom and $703,000 in Chile.

Stephen Colbert weighed in on twitter with "So sad to see all those Chilean miners coming out in their sunglasses. Already, they've totally gone Hollywood."

This is all funny of course but the miners were trapped for ten weeks in this ordeal.

 (Check the Daily Dish for a poignant photo of a family reuniting for the Face Of The Day.)

The High Low put it best: "Yes, in fairness, Oakley is being somewhat charitable here -- but news of its eyewear donation was leaked to the media well before the actual rescue, and we're willing to bet that leak was no accident. The worldwide media is riveted to Chile right now, offering an unprecedented amount of media attention -- which means millions of eyes on the Oakleys these miners are wearing. And any positive association with this heart-warming event could certainly benefit a brand."

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