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Source: ihatecrocs.com |
They're ugly, right? Won't even some people who wear Crocs admit to it? Why, then, do so many people continue to spend hard-earned money to wear these neon colored clog-like shoes?
According to a Boston Globe report, sales of Crocs during the first quarter of 2007 were up roughly three times over the same period a year earlier.
The brand took an unusual path to its current success. Unlike many other items that find a market on one or both of the coasts, Crocs were first a hit in mid America. Today the brand is sold in over 80 countries around the globe and the company continues to look for new growth opportunities.
The one constant in all of Crocs marketing is the comfort of wearing the brand's shoes.
Even when Crocs announced a new upscale women's fashion footwear line called YOU by Crocs in June, comfort was integral to the consumer message. The new line, which will be available for sale in stores in the fall, combines the Croslite closed cell resin structure of Crocs with other materials including leather, suede and lambs' wool. The line has nine items (eight with heels and one flat) priced between $149 and $299.
CEO Ron Snyder said in a company press release, "YOU by Crocs is the intersection of comfort and fashion and is ideal for the woman looking for high-quality footwear without compromising style or comfort. By leveraging the versatility of our Croslite material and our footwear expertise, this line serves as the next step in our contribution to the evolution of the comfort footwear industry."
There are still those who maintain that Crocs are simply a fad that will soon fade away. The company, for its part, has other plans. Tia Mattson, a spokesperson for Crocs, said the company is focused on "building a lifestyle brand" that touches on categories beyond footwear.
A fan base has built up around Crocs with websites dedicated to exploring the brands various virtues. Conversely, others have sprung up to revel in their contempt for those who reside in Croc-dom.
Kate Leth and Vincenzo Ravina, two college students in Halifax, Nova Scotia, started a website called ihatecrocs.com.
"We don't understand why people can't freely admit that they're hideous," Ms. Leth said.
Discussion Questions: How do you explain the success of Crocs? What do you think of the company's focus on positioning Crocs as a "lifestyle brand" that goes beyond its core shoe business? Does a website such as ihatecrocs.com and the publicity it creates help or hurt the Crocs brand and its product sales?