Rack Room Shoes is updating its longstanding “Real People” campaign to spotlight essential workers as the stars of its fall advertising campaign. Beginning in October, the Charlotte, NC-based family footwear chain will celebrate an essential worker each week, who were nominated through online submissions. All participants receive several pairs of new shoes, including Crocs, for them and their families, to model in at-home photoshoots.
Week one features the Sporrer family, who were previously a ‘Real People’ family in 2018. Justin is a neurosurgeon and the father of three children.
Week two features the Ibanez family. Both parents, Ashley, an ultrasound technician, and Duke, a nurse and director of a plasma center, work long hours while taking care of their three children. They were also previously featured as part of the Real People Campaign in 2019.
Week three highlights Brookelyn Norman, a pre-K teacher, and week four shines a spotlight on Khadijah Pelton, a nurse and mom of three, and DaLea Sneed, a high school counselor.
For week five, Celines Rodriguez, a USPS worker who has been working six days a week, 12 hours a day, and Army veteran James Blackwell, a nurse practitioner who has 25 years of healthcare experience, will be showcsed.
Week six, the ‘Real Heroes’ Campaign final week, is a tribute to Rack Room Shoes Store Associates, who continue to work tirelessly to keep customers safe during the ongoing pandemic.
Earlier this year, the retailer sponsored a day of giveaways with Crocs’ “Free Pair for Healthcare” program, a donation effort created to provide frontline healthcare heroes with comfortable, easy-to-clean shoes during the Covid-19 pandemic. Through the program, Crocs was able to donate tens of thousands of shoes each day for 45 days to those who needed it most with the support of partners like Rack Room Shoes. (Crocs delivered more than 860,000 pairs of Crocs™ shoes with a total retail value nearly $40 million.)
“Our company has a long history of giving back to the communities we serve. Honoring essential workers is a natural extension of our commitment to celebrating those who assist, encourage, and help others without expecting anything in return,” states Brenda Christmon, director of corporate communications at Rack Room Shoes. “We were also proud to support the important efforts of our vendor partner, Crocs, through its ‘Free Pair for Healthcare’ program, which encouraged frontline workers to be comfortable in their own shoes.”
“The tremendous response surrounding ‘Free Pair for Healthcare’ would not be possible without teamwork, innovation and collaboration,” says Crocs CEO Andrew Rees. “We are grateful to partners like Rack Room Shoes for their support by helping us provide comfort in a time of need.”
Rack Room Shoes associates on the retail frontlines.
USPS worker, Celines Rodriguez.
