04 Apr Skechers Partners with Ozzie Smith
Skechers has teamed up with Major League Baseball (MLB) Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith for a new marketing campaign featuring the brand’s Relaxed Fit from Skechers footwear collection. The campaign kicked off on Sunday with a television commercial that aired during MLB opening day and will extend through December 2016.
Smith’s first commercial debuted on Sunday, April 3. The humorous campaign compares Ozzie’s double play skills with the style and comfort found in the Relaxed Fit footwear collection.
“I’m excited to be working with Skechers on this campaign because they make some of the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn,” said Ozzie Smith. “I’ve been a fan of the brand for years, and I love how Skechers Memory Foam feels so relaxing on my feet.”
“Baseball fans recognize Ozzie as the best defensive shortstop of all time so we’re thrilled to have him join the Skechers team,” said Skechers president Michael Greenberg. “Ozzie’s impressive accomplishments and notoriety make him the perfect champion to follow in the footsteps of baseball legends Mariano Rivera and Pete Rose in representing the Skechers men’s collections.”
Nicknamed “The Wizard” for his defensive brilliance, Ozzie Smith set major league records for career assists (8,375) and double plays (1,590) by a shortstop as well as the National League (NL) record with 2,511 career games at the position. Smith won 13 consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Awards (1980–1992) as the best shortstop in the league and helped the St. Louis Cardinals win the 1982 World Series. A 15-time All-Star, he accumulated 2,460 hits and 580 stolen bases during his career and won the NL Silver Slugger Award as the best-hitting shortstop in 1987. Ozzie retired from baseball in 1996 after playing 19 years in the major leagues, the first four years with the San Diego Padres and the final fifteen with the St. Louis Cardinals. Smith was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002 and the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame for the inaugural class of 2014. Off the field, he has spent countless hours assisting non-profit organizations in the St. Louis area including the American Heart Association, St. Louis Effort for AIDS Dining Out for Life program, and serves as president of the Gateway PGA Foundation which reaches out to inner city youth via mentoring and golf programs. Ozzie also serves as the Education Ambassador for the Baseball Hall of Fame and headlines a “Play Ball with Ozzie Smith” fundraiser every year in Cooperstown during Induction Weekend.
Ozzie joins Skechers’ current “Hall of Fame” roster which includes legendary New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, world champion boxer Sugar Ray Leonard and music icon Ringo Starr. Previous Skechers men’s campaigns have featured sports legends such as Pete Rose, Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, Joe Namath, Tommy Lasorda, Mark Cuban, Karl Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Rick Fox, Wayne Gretzky and Meb Keflezighi.
Skechers Relaxed Fit footwear is known for a roomier fit and Skechers Memory Foam footbed that delivers instant comfort. The collection is available in Skechers retail channels worldwide.