Adidas SL72 and SL76 vintage sneaker ad

Here's a old vintage ad for the Adidas SL72 and SL76 engineered with 'traction dynamics’…

​Ad info is below:

SL 72 &76 reborn for the ultimate in cushioned traction 

More propulsion. Extended sole area gradually stores up touch-down energy. At lift-off, this energy is released producing 20% more propulsion per step. 

Thicker. softer-grooved wedge for substantially increased overall cushioning 

More stability & cushioning Wider, flared heel for greater stability. 

More Traction. Special profile ejects grit and mud. Profile layout allow, more flexing and therefore better traction. New heel profile for more cushioned heel strike

👟👟

Trust adidas to take these great (often imitated) training shoes, build in revolutionary cushioning and traction features, and end up with a saving in weight too. It's all part of a breakthrough in Traction Dynamics at adidas— real pioneer work that has created new standards in performance and comfort. 

SL 72 & 76 are creations of Adi Dassler, the man behind the adidas name. 

adidas 

The all-sports people

Adidas Boston 1981 vintage sneaker ad

Here's a 1981 Adidas vintage ad for their Boston model running shoes. I think this is one of the models that Kmart Trax spent a decade trying to knock off.

​Ad info is below:

Great for the road. Even better for your wallet. 

Durable rubber outersole with diamond profile for excellent traction. Extra-comfortable pre-formed inlay sole with soft terry lining. 

Boston is the name of the new training shoe from adidas, one of the most comfortable we've ever designed — and at a very comfortable price. The Boston has been created with a newly-developed terry-covered inlay sole, tricot lining at the heel, extensive padding and a supersoft and flexible heel wedge to ensure excellent shock-absorption and comfort. So save yourself some money but don't make your feet pay the price — with the adidas Boston. 

adidas 
We've got a feeling for winning.

adidas 1982 Oregon Bill Dellinger vintage sneaker ad

Here's another track coach ad, this time Bill Dellinger of the University of Oregon in 1982. Bill Dellinger replaced Bill Bowerman after he retired as coach of the Ducks track team in the 70s. In this ad he is endorsing the adidas Oregon, Atlanta and Lady Oregon shoes.

Ad info is below:

adidas reports:
addas U.S.A. 1982 

Bill Dellinger has discovered a new use for Newton's Third Law of Motion

As most of you know, Bill Dellinger is the University of Oregon's running coach; and he will be doing the same honors for the United States Olympic Team in 1984. He has become world-renowned for getting the most out of some of the finest runners around. But now, he's about to become equally famous for getting extra performance from a gentleman who had his peak many years ago. Because he and adidas have developed a way to harness Sir Issac's fundamental law that will make a fundamental difference to runners. 

Distribution of impact shock. The Dellinger Web. For runners, its a loophole in the Third Law of Motion.

Newton's dictum states that for every action, there must be an equal and opposite reaction. Until now, for runners, this has meant that what goes down (in terms of initial heel shock), must go up (as an equal shock transmitted straight up the leg). But The Web disperses part of the heel shock throughout the entire sole of the shoe, where it is not felt by the leg. So in effect, what goes down goes sideways as well as up. The Web: What it is and how it works. The Web is a unique polyamide netting that covers the midsole from heel to toe. To a runner, this simply means a type of construction that can significantly reduce leg fatigue. When a runner's heel strikes the ground, it compresses the netting in the heel area. This compressed netting in turn pulls in on the rest of the netting throughout the entire sole of the shoe. The resistance of the netting and sole acts much like a torsion bar to absorb part of the impact shock.

Close - up of The Web.

Up to ten percent of the shock, in fact. Ten percent that the runner doesn't ever feel. Which means that the runner has ten percent more energy to devote to running instead of shock absorption. As if that weren't enough, there's even another advantage to The Web. The heel impact puts The Web in a state of tension, with some areas compressed and others stretched. As the runner rolls forward into the next stride, The Web springs back, giving a trampoline effect. And all of this is accomplished without sacrificing stability, and with no gain in thickness or bulk. Dellinger's Law: "You pay for the whole shoe, why not use it?" As we've explained, most running shoes only use part of the sole most of the time, an inefficiency your whole body pays for directly. But now with The Web, you can have a shoe that does part of the work you've been used to doing. The adidas-developed Web is currently available in the Atlanta, Oregon, and Lady Oregon. Only from adidas, the company that can bring the laws of physics to heel. 

Atlanta

Oregon 

Lady Oregon 

adidas

adidas Marathon 80 vintage sneaker ad

Here's a vintage adidas Marathon 80 sneaker ad from 1979. We're always down for the old school blue & yellow colorway.

Ad info is below:

Our test track. 

We put everything science could offer into our new adidas Marathon 80. Then we put our Marathon 80 to the ultimate test. The New York City Marathon. To prove that adidas' lightest running shoe (a mere 6.3 ounces*) can make the difference of a ton less to lift over 26 miles.

To prove that the adidas Marathon 80's divided heel spoiler helps absorb maximum shock, even on the most uneven road surfaces.

To prove that the Marathon 80's incredibly sleek silhouette sole of 72 trefoil studs act as glide and stop supports for sure traction. In any weather.

The results are in from the lab. One example: in the 1978 New York City Marathon, the adidas Marathon 80 was worn by the runner who set the sensational new world record for women.

The Marathon 80. adidas' lightest running shoe.

adidas

The science of sport.