Brand profile: Crocs

Crocs shot to fame with the debut of its now-iconic resin-based clog in 2002. Fifteen years later, the company has evolved its design and brand to allow for a future focusing on its strengths, styles and values. Brittany Golob reports

There is no more justification at Crocs. Once an uber-trend that led the way to a $200m plus IPO, the brand drew media criticism, the hatred of the public and lost about 50% of its value from 2006 to 2014. Now, Crocs is standing by its products, its brand identity and its sense of self.

Its tone of voice is lighthearted, its imagery fun and cheerful and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. But at the heart of that is a quality shoe. The product managers at Crocs have got it right with their resin-based soles, dubbed Croslite, and stretchy, lightweight and comfortable uppers. The core of the brand though, is more than what the shoe is comprised of, it is the products.

“We want to put the product front and centre,” says Sander Quarles, merchandising manager based in the European headquarters in Amsterdam. “That’s the most important part and one part where we can start pulling people in to styles other than clogs.”

In the past, marketing had been all about the clog. That had a dual effect of increasing brand awareness for this core silhouette and of losing potential consumers who disliked the clog. Now, the difficulty is appealing to new customers without alienating existing audiences who love the brand for its comfortable, utile and easy to wear clogs.

“Where it all started was with the style that was inspired by the boat shoe,” Quarles says about the clog. “It has become an unmistakable icon in footwear.” But the brand has learned that it cannot rely solely on clogs to grow. Yet, expanding too far out of its comfort zone in the past to create everything from leather boots to cloth slip ons led to troubled times for the brand. The focus is on moulded footwear. That concept is at the heart of the revived Crocs and has seen the last few seasons keep the company’s share price well above it’s all-time low of $1.16 on the NASDAQ index.

Rather than offering everything to everyone, Crocs is focusing in on its expertise in moulded footwear. Love it or hate it, the clog is still a centrepiece of the collection. But an increased focus on colours and graphics helps differentiate the shoe and brings existing consumers back for more recent styles. However, the company will also be shifting its clog design to make for a differentiation in male and female styles.

But there’s much more than clogs.

In late August, Crocs launched its spring/summer 2017 collection which focuses entirely on moulded shoes. Yet, the variations between the styles allow for a range of uses and a way for Crocs to develop affinity for the brand among new audiences. The design inspiration comes from 1980s Miami and features bright colours and fun graphic patterns that speak to a poolside aesthetic. Among the different styles are options for children, for families, for active users, for street styles, for young and for not-so-young consumers.

One shoe, the CitiLane, has a sneaker silhouette, though it is made of entirely moulded resin. It has been slow to take off in Europe, but is popular in Asia and North America, says Quarles. He says it’s not an unusual silhouette, but Crocs is, “Trying to put our own spin on it. This is a silhouette our customer might not expect from us so we need to put our own special Crocs take on it. It’s something we really believe in.”

“We are continuing to evolve as a brand by offering trend-right styles to our consumers, while remaining true to our core moulded footwear heritage. Our goal is to continue to bring ‘newness’ and innovation to the line to attract those consumers who may not have considered us before”

It’s a new direction for the brand, but, crucially, it still speaks to Crocs’ focus on comfort and usability. It seems the brand has learned from its mistakes in the past and its focus on what it does well is leading this renewed expansion.

Quarles says Crocs’ unique material allows it to differentiate itself, “I think what our consumers expect from us and what we’re good at is moulded footwear. That’s really what you’ll see us focus on more and more. We can set ourselves apart with our moulded material.”

To complement this design direction, communications will again focus on the product. In the past, lifestyle images were key to brand communications. But the new spring/summer collection will feature dynamic photographs of the shoes placed on bright, bold backgrounds. Crocs will also begin working with its first celebrity brand ambassador.

“We are continuing to evolve as a brand by offering trend-right styles to our consumers, while remaining true to our core moulded footwear heritage,” says Anna Jenkins, marketing director for Crocs Europe. “Our goal is to continue to bring ‘newness’ and innovation to the line to attract those consumers who may not have considered us before.” The marketing around this evolution will continue with a standpoint begun in 2015, with the strapline, ‘Find your fun’. At the heart of the campaign is to celebrate being different and encourage individuality through the colour, patterns and unique designs Crocs has to offer.
Crocs has its own shops and digital channels and sells through partners around the world, thus its communications will target these partners as well as its owned resources to bring the colourful, bright, beach-like new styles to the masses. The product focus will feature 3D-style photography that highlights the shoes’ style and moulded nature.

There’s no stopping Crocs. The 2017 shoes link Crocs’ tone of voice and history of success at differentiating itself in the footwear market with the future of on-trend, true- to-brand styles that embrace new audiences and new uses. “The beauty of the Crocs brand is that it has global appeal to a wide range of consumers, spanning multiple wearing occasions. As a casual, lifestyle footwear company, we feel like we have a unique point of view to offer,” Jenkins adds. “By staying true to our core moulded footwear heritage and creating comfortable shoes that serve many wearing occasions, we will continue to provide style-right offerings at a great price point for our consumers in the years ahead.”

Though it is evolving in terms of design, Crocs is still the same company it was 15 years ago. It still loves comfort. It is still comfortable with itself. It still sells clogs. “We’re very proud of our clogs. It’s something you can definitely be proud of when you see where it’s taken us and where we are now. But I think it’s important to start showing what else we can do,” Quarles says.

Now, though Crocs has a more mature brand definition and a more consistent design direction. The 15 year-old company has finally grown up.