Building buzz around your product is usually a good thing. But creating a product out of buzz not necessarily so. Vibram USA Inc., a company promoting their FiveFingers minimalist or barefoot running shoes, recently found this out the hard way thanks to some class action lawyers.
Barefoot running has long had its advocates, dating back to at least 1960 when Abebe Bikila, an Ethiopian runner, won the Olympic marathon running barefoot (turbo-powered shoes would be my footwear of choice). A recent popular book helped stoke the flames for minimalist shoes. So perhaps it was only a matter of time before someone tried to commercialize the idea. Of course, it’s hard to commercialize literally running barefoot so “minimalist shoes,” including a shoe with toes, that were the subject of this case, were designed as the next best thing.
Vibram in its marketing touted numerous health and injury-prevention benefits. And the shoes were a commercial success.
However, the complaint in the case alleged several difficulties. First, there were allegedly no studies on the shoes themselves. Instead, Vibram allegedly largely relied upon anecdotal evidence and inferences as to how running barefoot might be beneficial.
Continue Reading Running Shoe Manufacture, Vibram USA Inc., Finds Itself Bare of Substantiation