On the other hand, a bad logo can leave a brand open to ridicule, and in some cases can even lead to stores refusing to carry their shoes. Such was the case with the brand Gravity Defyer. A few years ago I would often see web ads for Gravity Defyer shoes, and had to chuckle at the fact that they had what appeared to be a sperm logo on the sides:

I suspect that wearing a shoe with a sperm on the side is an effective form of contraception.

The shoes feature springs in the heel, as well as trampolines and stabilizers, and were often featured in the Skymall Catalogue (Skymall was a retailer whose catalogue was found in seat pockets of airplanes in the US – they are now out of business). You might think that the logo was intended to represent something else (maybe a tadpole?), but according to this article on Business Insider, the choice of a sperm logo was indeed intentional:

"Our logo is deliberate. Our customers feel like they are getting the beginning of a new life when they try our shoes," said Alexander Elnekaveh, CEO of Gravity Defyer. "We are not embarrassed by it."

Well, apparently times have changed, and not even the addition of multiple sperm was enough to prevent an inevitable logo change:

Nothing inspires speed like a race to conceive new life! And I wonder if there is any relation between the 3-sperm logo and the fact that this was “Revision 3.69”?

I’m not sure exactly when it happened, but Gravity Defyer now has a new logo, and sperm are no longer splashed on the sides of their shoes:

My initial reaction is that the logo looks a bit like the Om symbol – maybe they’re going after the yoga crowd?:

It’s definitely an improvement, though the bar was set pretty low by whoever decided to put reproductive cells on the earlier shoes.

Let this be a lesson to all marketers and shoe designers – though a great shoe may make you feel newly alive, celebrating that feeling with sperm is never a good idea.

Over the weekend a member of a forum I belong to on Facebook posted a link to the House of Cushion page on Road Runner Sports. Imagine my surprise then when I saw the 5th bullet point on that page – it reads:

“Unless you like running in PAIN and don’t care if you’re putting your body at SERIOUS RISK of INJURY…
Cushioned running shoes are YOUR #1 CHOICE!”

Apparently Road Runner Sports hasn’t gotten the memo that a recent prospective study found no difference in injury rates between runners transitioning into the Nike Pegasus vs. Vibram Fivefingers (I wrote about this study here). And those in Vibrams were less likely to be injured than those in the more heavily cushioned Nike Free.

And we also have this study presented last year at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine which found that there was no difference in injury risk between US army soldiers wearing minimalist shoes vs. traditional running shoes.

C’mon Road Runner, don’t make stuff up in an effort to scare people into buying a certain type of shoe.

Unless your claim is that the Nike Free carries a higher injury risk than the Nike Pegasus or Vibram Fivefingers, the evidence right now does not point to any one type of shoe being better or worse than any other when it comes to injury risk. All options remain on the table.

I’m not sure if this was a special edition just for bloggers/media. I suspect so given the potential expense involved in wide circulation of an ad like this. But, I have to admit that although I really have no interest in the shoe personally (too heavy for my taste), the video ad is pretty darned cool and I wonder if we are seeing a glimpse at the future with this type of advertising (check out this post on an Outside Magazine video experiment for a different implementation)?

Check out the ad in the video below (click on the gear in the YouTube interface to adjust settings if you’d like to view in HD):

The folks at Clever Training contacted me several weeks ago about developing a relationship, and after talking with them we were able to work out an agreement whereby Runblogger readers can get 10% off any item that they carry in their on-line store (with some exceptions for current sale items – for example, they have a current sale running with some great prices on several popular GPS watches). I get a small commission for each sale, so purchases help to support the work that I do here on Runblogger. This discount works on regularly priced GPS devices and other electronic gadgets, so it can provide a significant savings on an expensive purchase should you be in the market for a new toy!

To take advantage of the 10% discount, simply visit Clever Training and enter the code RunBlogXJT in the coupon field of the Shopping Cart. You can also click through the banners in my right sidebar or at the bottom of each post and use the code to take advantage of the discount. As always, your support is very much appreciated and helps me to keep the site going (especially now that writing this blog is my full-time job – I need all the help I can get!).

One attractive part of the offer that Clever Training presented me, and one which makes it a bit different than some of the other discounts I advertise, was that they agreed to host periodic giveaways for Runblogger readers. As part of the kickoff of our partnership, they offered up a Garmin Forerunner 10 GPS watch for a giveaway. Expect more to come!

To enter the Clever Training Garmin FR10 giveaway, use the Rafflecopter form below:

If you have any questions about advertising on Runblogger or the information presented on this page, please contact me (Pete Larson).

Blog Statistics and Popular Content Overview

Below is a screen capture of Google Analytics blog statistics from Aug. 23, 2014-Sept. 22, 2014 to give you an idea of traffic and audience reach. Traffic is about 53% US and 47% non-US.

Below is a summary of demographic audience statistics via Quantcast:

And below are traffic stats for my most popular recent posts:

[nrelate-popular]

If you have any additional questions about blog statistics, feel free to contact me.

A Note on Review Posts:

Please note that I do not accept payment from product manufacturers for reviews or posts. I also do not accept unsolicited guest posts. I do occasionally run manufacturer-sponsored product giveaways to readers in conjunction with review posts, and I occasionally run posts sponsored by third party retailers (never by product manufacturers).

I have earned credibility by being completely honest in my reviews, and refuse to compromise the integrity of my reviews by accepting monetary payment in conjunction with them. I am happy to entertain offers to review products, but be aware that my review will be honest and thorough – if I like a product, I will say so, if I don’t, I will say so as well. This approach has been very successful for me and is appreciated by my readers.

Also be aware that I am very selective about what I will review – I turn down far more review offers than I accept. I am more likely to review products that I would buy myself and that can integrate easily into my daily living and training. Given that Runblogger is a one-man show (though I do occasionally have friends review products for me), my time is limited to try products and write about them – don’t be offended if I turn down your offer for this reason. If you have a product you would like me to consider for a review, feel free to contact me.

I should be getting a review pair soon, so stay tuned for more information!

New Balance MT101 Trail Shoe

In the meantime, here’s a thorough comparison between the MT100 and MT101 on the Run 100 Miles blog.

For an interesting approach to reducing the heel height of the MT100 or MT101, check out what my friend Tuck had a cobbler do to his MT100’s: http://yelling-stop.blogspot.com/2010/09/modified-new-balance-mt100s.html.

The New Balance MT101 is available at Running Warehouse – you can use click the banner to the right and receive 10% off the purchase price (discount will appear in shopping cart):

I recently received an e-mail from a representative for Vibram asking me to post some information regarding their “Grip Your World Giveaway” sweepstakes. To participate in this contest, all you have to do is go to www.gripyourworld.com and upload a picture of you in a Vibram branded product (along with an optional story).

The grand prize winner of the Grip Your World Giveaway will receive a trip for two to Chamonix, France and tickets to the The North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc ultra-trail marathon this coming August. Twenty second place winners will take home a pair of Vibram FiveFingers footwear (this is what I’m hoping for!). The deadline for entering is this Friday, June 18th. If you’d like to participate, head on over to www.gripyourworld.com.

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I’m pleased to be able to offer a 10% off Running Warehouse discount coupon code for visitors to Runblogger.com – all you have to do is click on the Running Warehouse banner posted to the left to activate the discount code and shop at Running Warehouse. Please note that this discount excludes products from Asics and Mizuno.

I approached Running Warehouse about advertising since I generally buy most of my running gear through their website, and have nothing but positive things to say about them – their prices are generally the lowest that I find, they offer free 2 day shipping and free returns, and the Running Warehouse website provides a wealth of useful information on running products (including data on heel-toe drop for many of the shoes they sell). I also find the Running Warehouse Blog to be very good source of information about upcoming models of running shoes.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll add that a percentage of the value of each sale made via use of this code will be kicked back to me to help support what I do here on Runblogger – your support is very much appreciated! In particular, these earnings help me to buy the gear that I review here without risking dismemberment by my wife for spending hard-earned family money on ridiculous numbers of pairs of running shoes.