Foot's Paradise

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A shoemaker's fortunes rely heavily on advertising. Nike's theme, "Just Do It," which urges would-be customers to get off their couches and onto their exercise bicycles, has been widely praised. But Reebok's recent "Let U.B.U." ad campaign, which starred eccentric characters in surrealistic situations, was considered a bust. All the major manufacturers have hired celebrity pitchmen. Nike pays multitalented pro athlete Bo Jackson to sell its cross- trainer shoe, and Joan Benoit Samuelson to advertise its running line. L.A. Gear keeps retired Los Angeles Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on its payroll; his former coach Pat Riley is under contract with Reebok.

Having paid heavily to pump up their images, footwear-makers capitalize on their cachet by emblazoning their emblems on clothing. Nike, whose apparel sales reached $208 million in fiscal 1989, sells hundreds of garments ranging from lemon-colored cotton jerseys to hot-pink bicycle shorts. Next spring Nike will launch an Aqua Gear line for wind surfers and other hardy types.

Manufacturers are furiously bringing out new clothes and shoes, in part because they know that the industry's rapid growth is slowing down. Baby boomers, for example, are slacking off in their exercise regimens. While last year's 15% growth rate was healthy by any measure, it was down from 29% the previous year. As they pour money into R. and D., the shoemakers hope to come up with new products that weekend athletes can't resist. One new customer of note: Batman, whose movie shoes were based on Nike's cross-trainer.