“Our Shadow proves the theory of evolution.”
This is an ad featuring the Saucony Shadow. The Shadow adapted features of some of Saucony’s other shoes, such as the Jazz and the Freedom Trainer.
Also, look at those socks. I’m sure at some point crew length socks will get popular again, but at this point its hard to get someone to wear anything taller than a no-show.
Leave a comment if you enjoyed the ad.
“To Indicate Which Kind Of Runner You Are, Check One Of These Boxes.”
“To Make Sure You Get The Right Running Shoe, Pick Up The Box You Checked.”
I always like the ads that have several shoes in them, because it gives you a larger picture of what running shoe lines were like back then. The emergence of new technologies was nearly as prolific as it is today. Leave a comment!
“Until now, serious women runners really didn’t fit anywhere.”
This just goes to show you that running shoe brands have been making women’s specific fits for a long time, even though certain brands advertise otherwise.
It’s interesting to see that Converse had a serious approach to technical running footwear in the past. Converse is of course better known for Chuck Taylors. Leave a comment!
“Runners are not squares.”
The Turntec Invincible was one of the only running shoes I know of that used polyurethane cushioning instead of EVA. As the ad states, polyurethane is more durable, but it doesn’t mention the fact that it is generally firmer as well.
Jerry Turner, the owner of Turntec, had some pretty good ideas for shoes, but Turntec is no more. Leave a comment!
“Next month we’re going to give you a good swift boot.”
A simple ad, with a humorous twist of words. See for yourself.
The interesting part of this ad is that it doesn’t really show very much of the shoe, perhaps piquing interest in the shoe itself.
Also, if you aren’t already aware, you should fan our page on Facebook to get updates!
“The long, soft road.”
The New Balance 470 apparently made the road feel like pillows, according to this ad. So without further ado, here it is:
A fairly spartan ad, but I’ve only found it in one magazine, so they must not have run this one for very long. Leave a comment if you enjoyed the ad.
Here is a novel concept, featuring two sets of laces per shoe for individual adjustment. There are several lacing tricks that can mimic this effect, but this system made it easy without any relacing of the shoes.
Kaepa is still around today, but they don’t seem to be making running shoes. Also, I wonder if it was worth it for them to pay for that extra page with almost nothing on it. Leave a comment!
Here is an ad that highlights Asics Gel technology from over 20 years ago. Additionally the Gel-Epirus, Gel-Lyte II, and Gel-101 are featured in the ad.
I still remember having some of the sample Gel units in the store, and the newer Gel technology has improved drastically since then, so hug your local chemist today. Leave a comment after the jump.
‘FRONT-RUNNER: The Awesome “Aussie”. KangaROOS and Goodyear pioneer the incredible “Indy 500” Compound Sole.’
The tire-inspired outsole was intended to increase durability and traction. The “Aussie” had tread based on that of the Goodyear VR50 which came on Corvettes in 1984.
KangaROOS has a pretty cool thing going with Goodyear. I remember one of the shoes even had Aquatred just like the tires. Leave a comment if you enjoyed the ad!
“When your feet should be the furthest thing from your mind.”
These always have a clever little tagline, don’t they?
This ad wasn’t quite a full page, it was about 3/4 of the page. I’m not sure whether this was a function of cost, or placement in the magazine (next to the story index). Leave a comment!
