Crocs has high hopes for a comeback.
A new line of strappy red high heels, casual leather loafers and peep-toe slingbacks is part of an ambitious bid for a company that grew quickly but tripped when the fad for its quirky clogs faded and knockoffs stole sales.
Love them or hate them–and chances are it’s one or the other–Crocs wants people to think past that ugly-but-comfortable clog with the goofy holes and think more of, well, regular shoes.
The company’s new “Feel the love” advertising campaign pushes more than 20 new styles with clog-like mascots named “Croslite” to play up the shoes’ comfort. Crocs’ first TV campaign in the United States features the new mascots helping people and their aching feet.
They’re named for the technology and material that Crocs says make its shoes comfortable. The rubbery material conforms to feet, carries no odour because it is anti-microbial and absorbs impact. No matter the new style, the technology is there, Crocs says.
“They got famous for a cheeky, quirky look. We want to make sure the next wave of growth is on the authentic truth of the brand,” said Marshall Ross, chief creative officer of Cramer-Krasselt, the ad agency behind the campaign. “That’s how a fad brand can become an enduring, growing brand for the ages, versus a brand for the moment.”
Crocs, which have sold more than 120 million pairs since their 2002 introduction, are certainly polarizing. Anti-Crocs blogs and Facebook groups abound. One group, which has an unprintable word in the title, has nearly 1.5 million members. The official Crocs fan page has well under 100,000.
Crocs isn’t fazed by the camps of haters, Ross said. The idea behind Crocs isn’t the shoe, he said. “It’s what it feels like. We can deliver that feeling in all kinds of shoes.”
But there are risks in straying too far from what Crocs are known for, according to some marketing experts.
A big change can damage a brand because suddenly people won’t know what to expect, said Kelly O’Keefe, managing director of the Brand Center at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Crocs should skip the heels and stick to its strengths, added Laura Ries, president of the Ries & Ries brand strategy firm in Atlanta.
“There’s plenty of competition with pretty shoes,” Ries said. “But to have one that is ugly, good and comfortable? That’s what their strength is in, and they should stay closer to that.”
But Crocs feels strongly it needs more styles so it can cater to more tastes and sell more shoes. With the new spring and summer collections there are 120 styles now, ranging from ballerina flats for women to trail shoes for men.
Plenty of people felt love for the brand when the shoes were introduced in 2002. Revenue reached US$355 million in 2006, the year the company went public. A year later, that figure had more than doubled to US$847.4 million. The clogs were everywhere.
But by 2009, sales had fallen nearly a quarter to US$645.8 million. The company cut marketing spending, too, to US$4.4 million from US$12.7 million in 2008, according to research firm Kantar Media.
