What Were They Thinking? — Shoes? Or “Eeewwwws”?

“What Were They Thinking?” highlights products and presentations which just don’t make sense.

This ad for Gravity Defyer shoes showed up in the latest National Geographic.

Everyone I showed it to asked a version of “Why is there a sperm on the shoe?”  (And in the company logo?)

Also worth asking is “Why are they pouring energy drink on the shoe?  Are they implying that it is waterproof, or that the shoe adds ‘energy’ to your feet?”  (Would that the ad text had anything that tied into that imagery.)

Not worth asking is “Who would drink an energy drink with a sperm logo on it?”  Also not worth asking: “How does Monster feel about you using their can but with your logo on it?” (The ingredients text around the top gives away the brand, if you compare images.)

(A different version of the ad — without the energy drink — showed in another magazine the same month.  AAA’s Journey, I think.  Still just as “ewww” inducing.)