November 29, 1999

10:21 PM

So Nike has this custom shoe thingonline and the whole thing seems ridiculous to me. Luckily, I'm not alone, because someone way more witty than I came up with some great custom shoes of their own. I wonder if Nike would actually produce those if you ordered them? I bet the 'Air 3rdworld' shoes could win Nike a truth in advertising award somewhere.
posted by mathowie (3 comments total)

what is so ridiculous about being innovative, creative, and using the web to deliver a higher level of service? regardless of who came up with the idea it seems pretty cool to me. imagine taking this to some other industries. Just a thought.
posted by greyscale at 7:34 AM on November 30, 1999

I don't find the idea of online-customizable products ridiculous, that I find very cool. But the idea of expressing one's self through a pair of customized Nike shoes is what I find ridiculous. It seems as goofy to me as the credit card companies that now let you put any image you want on your credit card. Sure it sounds cool at first, but then I think "how pathetic is it to think a custom credit card is expressing yourself?" I guess if it was anyone besides Nike, I probably wouldn't have any problem with it, so it's my personal bias coming through.
posted by mathowie at 9:59 AM on November 30, 1999

From a USA Today story about the Nike project mentions: "A filter will prohibit buyers from inscribing an obscenity or a name that violates copyright or trademark laws on the shoe, NikeID's Mark Allen says."

Maybe 3rdworld is in their filter?
posted by tomalak at 10:52 AM on November 30, 1999