Kim Kardashian Replaced by Dog in New Sketchers Campaign

Kim Kardashian's talked-about Super Bowl ad for Sketchers last year wasn't enough to keep the company from moving on to a new four-legged star.

Kim Kardashian made waves during last year's Super Bowl when the reality star appeared in a sweaty fitness-based ad for Sketchers Shape-Up shoes. Kardashian "broke up" with her trainer in favor of her new Sketchers shoes, which are designed to naturally work out the upper thighs and buttocks when worn. This year, however, Sketchers has decided not to proceed with Kardashian as the face of their product.

Instead, they have chosen a French bulldog to replace the reality star in the hopes that they can move the brand away from the fluff of reality television and more toward having legitimate value as a fitness product. In fairness to Kardashian, however, Sketchers was more than pleased with her performance in their ad and they were overwhelmed by the response that it generated for the company.

Sketchers Fitness president Leonard Armato told USA Today, "Kim got us more attention than we ever dreamed. [But] we have to establish Sketchers as more than a lifestyle company."

This year's campaign will feature a French bulldog who wears Sketchers to outrun a pack of greyhounds. Mark Cuban, controversial owner of the Dallas Mavericks, also appears in the commercial, so it's clear that the company is still trying not to take themselves too seriously with their new ad.

And even though Sketchers won't be using Kim Kardashian during this year's Super Bowl, it's a safe bet that someone else will. After all, what would a Super Bowl really be without Kim Kardashian?

By Buzzle Staff and Agencies