Brooks Banks on “Float or Feel” for Launch of New Pure Running Shoes

Come this Fall, specialty running shoe stores will be selling a new line of Brooks footwear called the Pures.  Deliberately eschewing the minimalist tag, these shoes still have a lot of minimalist features: lightweight, flexible soles, very little heel-to-toe drop. Citing extensive market research, Brooks claims that runners aren’t looking for “less” in a shoe; they want more! But where that “more” ends up is not a thick, non-flexing tread or monster crash-heel-pad. The “more” seems to be linked to a consumer’s preference for snazzy styling and high-tech design and features. To this end, Brooks has introduced a new marketing concept, “Float or Feel.” In other words, runners either want maximum connection (proprioception) with the ground, or want to feel like they are running on a surface made from a giant bed of marshmallows. A Footwear Product Line Manager for Brooks Sports explained to the press the reasoning for FOF:  “’Less is more'” has become the design philosophy of many brands in the market right now that are chasing the minimal trend. The hard part about that for us is that we don’t feel that ‘less is more’ is a great consumer proposition. It is no doubt an uplifting life philosophy, but a product promise? Runners shouldn’t have to pay more for less technology. We want to build a better, biomechanically sound product in a lighter package that allows the runner to feel more with less”. Okay, this all sounds good, but as if runners don’t have trouble enough differentiating between all the new barefoot and minimalist running shoes?  The U.K. running site, Ransacker has more on Brooks’ PureProject Launch.