Today Kim Kardashian secured yet another big deal. Sketchers announced that they've signed on to work with the reality star and her mother, Kris Jenner, to front a marketing campaign including print, television and online advertisements for their Sketchers Shape-ups, set to launch next spring.
The move marks another big business leap for the star, who recently opened another branch of Dash - the store she owns with sisters Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian - in Soho. The past few years have also seen the reality star work with QVC, Bebe and now on a line of special credit cards. The Times recently wrote a piece attempting to explain, or understand, her newfound commercial appeal. According to the paper: “'There was a time when Paris Hilton topped that list, when she was the most famous person for being nothing we had ever seen,' Mr. Passikoff said. (Ms. Hilton is now in third place.) Interestingly, he noted, many consumers associate Ms. Kardashian with entrepreneurship, far more so than with other celebrities."
This sentiment is clearly shared by Leonard Armato, Sketcher's Fitness Group President, who said: “The Kardashians are the definition of pop culture....Everything they do, people are inspired to emulate.”
This is the first time the brand have brought on a celebrity outside of the sports field to front the product - the most recent celebrity spokespeople include athletes like Joe Montana and Karl Malone. “Kris is someone who career women and moms look up to,” Armato explained when asked about the decision to hire the pair. “And Kim is probably the hottest celebrity in the world right now. The heat she generates is unprecedented.”
