Given that Puma's new Bolt-endorsed line of running shoes doesn't really contain any groundbreaking innovations, either, it seems like simply more of the same rather than anything fresh and exciting.

Puma is reaching out to a different market than Nike, it is understood, and Usain Bolt simply does not have the same celebrity status or marketing clout as Michael Jordan. The relationship itself, however, just seems lackluster compared to the long-running Air-Jordan campaign and to other efforts made by other companies in the securing of endorsements and engaging in product-specific celebrity alignments. A rather basic looking running shoe blandly supported by a world-class runner -- the balance isn't there, and neither is they hype. There is more excitement brewed by the new comfort-oriented shoes being released by Asics than there is when it comes to Bolt's purported choice in footwear.

Other celebrity associations with footwear have been more successful, likely...
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