Nancy Kerrigan to Endorse Oriental Trading

Oriental Trading Co. has entered into an endorsement agreement with former U.S. figure skating champion Nancy Kerrigan for 2010. Kerrigan is the multichannel gifts and novelties merchant's first-ever celebrity endorser.

The company said Kerrigan will participate in a variety of endorsement activities throughout the year. "We are still in the planning stages with the endorsement and will consider all media options but nothing specific has yet been identified," says Oriental Trading spokesperson Angie Drew.

Why Kerrigan? The merchant was a sponsor of an ice show in October and as a result, executives got to meet Kerrigan. The skater told the catalog’s CEO Sam Taylor that she is a loyal Oriental Trading customer.

Though this is an Olympic year, and Kerrigan is a two-time Olympic medalist, that’s not the only reason the cataloger is working with her, Drew says.

"She is our core demographic – the busy, hands-on mom who uses Orientaltrading.com for easy, value-priced party planning," Drew says.

In a sad twist, Kerrigan has been in the news this week for a tragic reason: Her father Daniel died on Sunday after what police said was a violent struggle with his son Mark in their family home in Stoneham, MA.

Oriental Trading Co. said in a prepared statement: "The recent event that Nancy's family has experienced in no way changes our brand partnership. We are happy to have Nancy on board with OTC and will proceed as planned. We send our thoughts and prayers to her family and hope the healing can begin very soon for them."