Mizuno CUSHIONREVO PRO Cross-Industry Innovation

This piece examines how Mizuno developed the CUSHIONREVO PRO baseball cleat by applying innovation from another industry. Traditionally, baseball cleats prioritized lightness and a barefoot feel, but Mizuno drew inspiration from the success of thick-soled running shoes, which had become commonplace in that sport for reducing impact and fatigue. They adapted this concept to baseball, recognizing that players also endure significant impact on their feet. Through combining this external idea with their existing expertise in baseball footwear and gathering extensive feedback from professional players, Mizuno successfully created a new kind of cleat. The discussion highlights this as an example of how challenging existing norms and combining disparate concepts can lead to innovation.