Nike are no fools

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Taken a long time but according to marketing strategy women's feet are different from men's feet


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/16/business/16nike.html

What say you ?

Cameron

 

Shoes are not feet

Is the shape of a woman's foot really so different to a man's that effects would be seen using a general last/mould. After all, lasts are not really accurate reflections of feet. The article seemed to be more focussed on supplying brightly coloured hipster pants and pink stripes on shoes for the gym. What sort of results have they been getting since using the different moulds?

 

Nike have been suggesting they have had footwear specific to women for bout 5-6 years now. Ryka are a womens only brand readily available in most towns I would expect.

 

Foot Fan

>Is the shape of a woman's foot really so different to a man's that effects would be seen using a general last/mould. After all, lasts are not really accurate reflections of feet.

True but for many years women's sport shoes were made from downsized men's lasts. Now at least there is acceptance lasts made to women's dimensions are more appropriate.

> The article seemed to be more focussed on supplying brightly coloured hipster pants and pink stripes on shoes for the gym.

Well that was my point and the heading was intended to be a retorical statement. Nike like many other brand leaders have ignored any anthropdmetric differences for decades until they realised it was a key marketing tool.

>What sort of results have they been getting since using the different moulds?

None as far as I know , nor would there be any reason for companies to now research the topics. Rather like a detergent suppliers running comparisons between their old soap powder and their New and Improved variety would make no sense (to them) after the launch. Gullible consumers (mistakenly) assume the latter is always better and never question why the company got away with supplying an inferior product, beforehand. WE all tend to be blinded by science when it comes to sales retoric

Shoes make no difference to elite performance and have yet to win a gold medal. Comfort may make the athlete feel better and compete to optimal efficiency but that would be very subjective.

Cameron

 

Women's / Mens Lasts

I recall that some running shoe companies have offered women-specific shoes for some 20 years or more. This is based on the acknowledged difference in foot shape between the genders, and is supported by the responses of elite runners who do perceive the benefit of this.

What I haven't heard of, though, is shoes being produced specifically for different races, i.e. European, Asian where there are morphological differences in foot shape. A gap in the market waiting to be explored?