Is anyone a Crocs fan here? I definitely am. Who wouldn’t be? Crocs are comfortable to wear, light, sweat & odor resistant. But wait, that was not how it was back in 2007, Crocs got a lot of hatred for its style and looks. A number of websites and even authors wrote about how ugly Crocs looked. But how suddenly Crocs changed its game or strategy? How did it become the most comfortable shoewear in spite of getting ugly sentiments from its very customers?

Let’s see how Crocs aced its marketing strategy from being the worst style to becoming the most awesome and comfortable shoewear of all time.

Crocs- The Story of Its Origin

The story of croc started way back in 2002, with three friends; Scott Seamans, George Boedecker and Lyndon Hanson. Friendships are important but friends who trust each other are more important. Scott was the one who flaunted his slip-resistant Clogs made of foam- made by a company called Foam Creations. The company is based in Colorado, America. Initially, the footwear was made for boating, as the brand was uniquely called foam clog shoes. It was positioned as a brand for eco-conscious consumers.

Acquiring Foam Creations

In order to get the rights to the foam resin called crosslite, Crocs had to purchase Foam Creations in order to get exclusive rights to Crosslite. Crosslite had special benefits like getting accustomed to the person who is wearing and medicinal benefits. Crosslite has also seemed to get appreciation from many podiatrists (professionals who treat people with foot-related conditions and ailments.

Crocs- Business strategy

Collaborating with Celebrities

It collaborated with celebrities to remove its ugly fashion image from the audience. They collaborated with worldwide celebrities like Priyanka Chopra, Justin Bieber, and many other famous celebrities which gave rise to immense sales traction and positive sentiments. Marketing including famous faces definitely gives much needs recognition and social proof for the brands.

Positioning itself as the most functional shoes.

Connecting with the customer’s emotions at the right time
Post-pandemic, the audience cared less for fashion. People were indoors most of the time, hence wearing something comfortable as crocs, gave it the much-needed attention it always needed.

Positioned Crocs as the ideal shoewear for the frontline workers
Crocs made a difference through an initiative that offered free pairs of shoes to frontline workers. Post the campaign, the positive mentions for crocs, increased tremendously, making it an ideal comfortable wear for a profession that works really hard. They have sent around 800k pairs to healthcare workers in the U.S.A., India, and a lot more.

Digital-first strategy and approach
Although the pandemic hit, the retail sector really hard, It didn’t leave Croc behind in its marketing game. Crocs aced with its digital marketing game. It made sure to invest heavily in digital channels and paid search campaigns.

Crocs identified the fashion style of the consumers.
Earlier people preferred shoes made of leather, people chose to look classy, and put much more emphasis on looks over comfort. Now people are more fitness-oriented, comfort tops are the everyday wear, and Crocs came as a tick mark to all that today’s customers wanted- comfort, looks, and ease to wear.
Crocs stand for Unique and Inclusive shareware that is common, yet very different
Crocs as an organization have stood up for values that are green, that are inclusive, and that is truly unique.
Crocs have commented to be Net-Zero by 2030
More than that, they are actively recycling and donating their shoes wherever possible.
A person who shows up in crocs is definitely someone who prefers comfort over anything and that is what crocs convey- “Come as you are”. One need not change themselves, one is unique and different and so is Crocs.