Travel back in time to the golden age of sneaker advertising to witness the developing DNA of some of the biggest footwear brands we all know and love today but also ones such as L.A. Gear, Pony, or Pro-Keds that couldn’t find the rhythm to keep up with the competing giants.
This great collection of vintage sneaker advertisements tells the nostalgic story of the small and giant leaps the footwear industry and athletes have taken throughout the 20th century. With over 900 vintage images, Sneaker Freaker presents the clear-cut rivalry between competitors and the clever technologies and techniques that challenged other brands such as Tinker Hatfield’s visible air bags embedded in the midsole or the impact-absorbing GEL pads introduced by Asics.
Adidas
The brands you love now, you also would have loved back then. Many of these featured brands still hold the very same or slightly evolved DNA that they advertised over twenty years ago. For example, Adidas’ three stripes have remained tradition and they still love explaining even the smallest scientifically backed elements integrated into their footwear, whether it’s for running hundreds of miles across the country, spending hours hooping at the court, playing tennis, or maybe even doing all the above.
Asics
Basketball most likely won’t be the first thing to come to your mind when hearing of Asics but Soled Out shows us that Mr Onitsuka actually began with a simple basketball boot. Asics had implemented the GEL technology into the sneakers and even had basketball legend Isiah Thomas playing in their GEL-Spotlyte and GT-Intensity II. A great example of how brands would exaggerate the capabilities of their footwear was throughout the late ‘80s when Asics showed off their sleek ‘GEL Hightops’ sneakers with ads imagining the wearer to jump higher than the rim.
In a sense, Asics ads such as “Anyone can push the snooze button” and “Assertive? Driven? Gotta Have It All? Have We Got The Shoe For You” motivated readers to be better versions of themselves and that they could start that journey with a new pair of GEL-cushioned sneakers. These brands were still relatively new, so they had to build their audience from the ground up. These ads had to explain, in great detail, why the consumer should invest in a pair but, since nowadays we all know what and where to buy, we rarely if never see these types of print advertisements anymore.
Brooks
Soled Out contains print ads from the Brooks company that were released from 1977-’82. Having some of the more artistic advertisements found throughout the book, it’s a shame that the company experienced great difficulties by the early 1980s that forced Brooks into Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
“Less shoe for your money” would usually sound ridiculous but, especially around the 1980s, footwear brands were constantly competing to have lighter running shoes without compromising on quality. The saying was used by Brooks for one of their campaigns in attempt to trump the likes of Nike and Adidas, which as shown by the Runner’s World graphic, Brooks had achieved with their Super Villanova; weighing 270.3g for just under $30.
Converse
With around fifty pages in the book dedicated to the Converse brand, it’s clear that the now-Nike-owned company came up with a great number of creative print adverts. Nowadays we mostly connect Converse with their canvas All Star but Soled Out highlights how, throughout the ‘70s to the ‘90s, the brand developed many different styles for many different occasions such as the Indy 500 and Purcell RaceAround badminton shoes, inspired by high-performance cars, and seen worn by the very famous James Dean. In ’88, Converse even released high tops for the great outdoors, expanding their range of footwear out from the courts.
Of course, like any other sneaker company, Converse delved straight into the running shoes market. With unique side lacing systems for foot stability, Dual Density midsoles for cushioning and flexibility, Vibram outsoles, and a whole lot more, Converse found their own selling points that could sway consumers in their direction. Looking at some of their shoes in this book, it wouldn’t seem crazy to bring them back in today’s market. The nostalgic element and the retro aesthetic could easily put these right back on shelves.
Jordan
The adverts produced by the Jordan brand are just something else. Simple, artistic, and without lengthy paragraphs, Jordan simply allowed the marketing to come from Michael’s performances on the court. Although Adidas, Asics, Brooks, and Converse have shown to make beautiful marketing pieces, seeing these clean Jordan ads is almost like a breath of fresh air. They’re a whole lot different and that’s what makes them stand out so much.
The classic telephone number ads were especially good at capturing the essence of the Jordan brand’s mission of keeping their advertising simple. No words but the art speaks for itself.
L.A. Gear
New Balance
Thanks to excellent sneaker design and Kawhi Leonard, New Balance now has a very respectable range of basketball footwear, but the book brings us back to the ‘80s when the earlier basketball sneakers such as the Worthy Express 740 and 785 were originally being produced.
Winning countless awards since they started, New Balance is also very well known for their running shoes. The book does a great job of showing how the brand, unlike competitors, had offered their shoes in different widths for both men and women which, by being so inclusive, gave New Balance a unique edge over the rest. New Balance made consumers feel special, a part of the family but not lost in the crowd. They still execute this just as well today but take a look at this 1981 print ad that helped runners pick the perfect shoes for their journeys.
For many, a great selling point of New Balance sneakers is that many of them are made in America, ensuring greater levels of quality control. Soled Out shows how, back in 1992, the brand advertised this selling point.
Nike
Nike can be considered to be the greatest at sneaker advertising. This book really shows off the moving print ads that pushed their iconic sneakers to success and fame, starting off with a 1987 spread showcasing the Air Max 1 and its eye-catching cushioning unit.
Exploded diagrams are excellent for presenting what makes the product what it is and this has been used in the footwear industry for many years. A great example of this being put to use is in this Nike Air Max ad from the late 1980s.
A very funny story about the cushioning technology is retold by Tinker Hatfield and presented on page 311. After having received a sample of the Air Max 1 Air Bag and jumping on the plane back from the factory, he was really excited about all the possibilities this could bring to Nike but, right after, it simply exploded. Tweaking had to be done.
Cross training shoes were especially prominent throughout the ‘90s and Nike made sure to absolutely dominate that market. One of the most iconic ads that Nike produced for their Air Trainer SC pictures the sneaker as being suitable for many occasions including weightlifting, basketball, The French Open, and funnily, the Iditarod.
Pony
Pro-Keds
Puma
As one of the world's biggest brands, you would expect them to have a great marketing history and they have had exactly that. Some of the biggest propellers of Puma were the talent from the world of sports such as NBA Legend Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier, tennis icons Martina Navratilova and Boris Becker.
Reebok
Reebok takes up a lot of space in this book, mostly because of the inflatable Pump technology that was so unique and contemporary for its time. The many pages of reebok ads show that the brand utilised many styles of advertising, not limiting themselves to paragraph-dominant print ads but instead applying great photography, bold lettering, clever storytelling, and illustrations wherever more suitable.
Saucony
Finally, the book presents some of the finest adverts created by Saucony, a brand whose shoes we rarely see being worn out on the streets. Being more known for their running shoes, Saucony built up a preference for including sports data, awards, and famous wearers in their print advertisements. One of their more humorous and memorable ads was from 1985, stating “Rod Dixon wasn’t satisfied until we put a mattress, a window and a trampoline in these shoes”.
Marketing is just as important as the product. These days, the marketing is far more subtle but, in turn, more effective. We won’t buy things unless a celebrity says they’re great, unless billboards paint a pretty picture, or unless it comes in a nice, sturdy box. Print ads in the book’s featured decades were the optimal method of reaching out to the audience. It was the perfect place to show why readers should invest in your product. In this case, it was also the place for footwear companies to constantly argue that their shoes performed better than competitors. In the end, it was only the facts that ever won over the consumers. Brands found that to properly showcase their superiority over the rest was to include data, information on how their smart technologies work, and price comparisons for example. Others chose to ditch that idea and opted to have elite athletes showcasing the true capabilities of the footwear which, in Jordan’s case, was rather successful. It was the funny slogans, the beautiful imagery, or boastful claims that really stuck in the heads of readers.
Buy the book here: https://www.phaidon.com/store/design/soled-out-9781838663674/
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