So here’s the pitch: Pizza Hut is releasing a set of limited-edition sneakers called “Pie Tops” that allows you to order a pie by pressing a button on the shoe’s tongue. Only 64 pairs of the shoes were produced by the cult sneaker artist the Shoe Surgeon. It is a collaboration intended to swell interest in Pizza Hut’s March Madness food specials (hence why only 64 pairs were made).
Now, the Shoe Surgeon truly is an artist who has crafted highly creative and inspired sneakers. His “Misplaced Checks” collaborations with John Geiger are very sought after within the sneaker community and for very good reason. These shoes are absolute fire.
It all started with an idea…#misplacedchecks @TheShoeSurgeon @JohnGeiger_ pic.twitter.com/a7zAH8s66d
— SNKR INC (@SNKRINC) February 7, 2017
But these “Pie Tops” are kind of dumb. They are a seriously dull shoe with some “geolocation” technology that is far below the impressive standards the Shoe Surgeon has established for himself. And in fear of coming across as a typical snarky blogger who hates everything, I will admit understanding this a probably a lucrative partnership and creates opportunity for all sides involved.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRBfy8cjZlb/?taken-by=theshoesurgeon
The Shoe Surgeon continues the ability to create artistic custom sneakers. Pizza Hut earns some gimmicky internet buzz while sneaking in the real message of that Grant Hill commercial—displaying to viewers how easy and simple it is to order Pizza Hut pie.
As David Daniels, Yum Brands’ VP of media and advertising, told AdFreak, “As far as we know, this has never been done before. We feel it’s highly culturally relevant. Sneakers are hot. We’ve enlisted a really cool professional to design these shoes for us—the Shoe Surgeon out of L.A. These 64 pairs are handmade, and pretty cool.”
“Sneakers are hot,” he says. Just try not imagining Will Ferrell’s Zoolander character Mugatu shouting that. “Sneakers are so hot right now.”
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Anyways, I accept this is a niche problem and with everything else going on in the world, not really a problem at all. Will I be flustered when encountering these “Pie Tops” at some SneakerCon event sold for thousands of dollars like they were a pair of LeBron IV “Fruity Pebbles” or Eminem x Air Jordan 4 x Carhartt’s? Yes, yes I will. But it’s really not that important. Pizza Hut deliver just okay pie and your consumption of it won’t (really) change from this advertisement.
But don’t tell me those sneakers are “cool.” They are dumb and always will be.
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