2 ms·

I want a pair! But... Could this be an example of media hype? What do you mean? Well, as already mentioned this is not the first time an article has appeared

I want a pair! But... Could this be an example of media hype? What do you mean? Well, as already mentioned this is not the first time an article has appeared on the HN. Not a bad thing. But lets look a little closer. Like him or hate him Tim Farris has reviewed these. I used to like reading his blog until I couldn't help feel 90% of his stories were there to push you to buy something ( Lead Gen, no less from another article in the top 30 today ) or left you wondering if he was paid to write that story. The New York times has ran at least two articles related to these shoes. Wired has an article and a review. There is a chance that they are being discovered on the merit for what they may or may not be. I don't live in an english speaking country. Equally I am a huge running fan. I am yet to see any here, not even in boutique shops. ( Oslo Norway ) So I wonder how these amazing shoes are only being discovered in mainstream tech ( type ) sites which are aimed at a particular market. So I googled it a little. "vibram site:news.bbc.co.uk" - 0 "vibram site:guardian.co.uk" - more than 1. Interestingly they first hit the guardian end of 2006. "vibram site:dagbladet.no" - 0 ( main norwegian site ) "vibram site:abc.net.au/news" - 0 ( australian site ) menshealth ( us site ) - 0 menshealth ( australian site ) - 0 Clearly my searches are small subset of places I like to read, yet for me it does hold some validity that this could be "new media marketing". Would love to hear if any of you agree or disagree and why? Equally would love to hear how as consumers we can read thru the lines of "hidden marketing" and "real" reviews.

nunb 17y ago
I would normally be suspicious of something that keeps cropping up like this (ref. PG's "The Submarine"). However, sometimes something comes up because the truth will out. I think the "discovery" of these shoes being American is not an accident. Other markets are too small, and the USA probably has the biggest contingent of foot-damaged runners in the world. Although I live in Italy, Vibram keeps its Five Fingers shoes out of the market (they are available in Germany, even though Vibram is an Italian company). Part of the reason is, people already prefer flat-soled shoes here. Nike style sneakers are almost non-existent. Some alternatives to VFF: Closer to home for you, perhaps, is the Feelmax Planka, and the UK has Vivo Barefoots which may be a bit overpriced. I don't suppose thin soles will perform well in a cold environment though! As for me, all through summer I wore what in a different age would be called "canvas plimsolls", and I am now dreading having to wear winter boots. If someone could make a waterproof canvas hi-top, I'd rest easy. So yes, I do think these articles are coming out because people experience the sheer joy of wearing minimalist shoes (perhaps explainable by the sensory organ density of the foot?). These are almost identical to the shoes I wore. http://www.seejackshop.com/images/uploads/ASOS-plimsolls.jpg http://www.seejackshop.com/images/uploads/ASOS-plimsolls.jpg

nunb 17y ago

I would normally be suspicious of something that keeps cropping up like this (ref. PG's "The Submarine"). However, sometimes something comes up because the truth will out. I think the "discovery" of these shoes being American is not an accident. Other markets are too small, and the USA probably has the biggest contingent of foot-damaged runners in the world. Although I live in Italy, Vibram keeps its Five Fingers shoes out of the market (they are available in Germany, even though Vibram is an Italian company). Part of the reason is, people already prefer flat-soled shoes here. Nike style sneakers are almost non-existent. Some alternatives to VFF: Closer to home for you, perhaps, is the Feelmax Planka, and the UK has Vivo Barefoots which may be a bit overpriced. I don't suppose thin soles will perform well in a cold environment though! As for me, all through summer I wore what in a different age would be called "canvas plimsolls", and I am now dreading having to wear winter boots. If someone could make a waterproof canvas hi-top, I'd rest easy. So yes, I do think these articles are coming out because people experience the sheer joy of wearing minimalist shoes (perhaps explainable by the sensory organ density of the foot?). These are almost identical to the shoes I wore. http://www.seejackshop.com/images/uploads/ASOS-plimsolls.jpg http://www.seejackshop.com/images/uploads/ASOS-plimsolls.jpg