Crocs
Crocs turned a widely mocked product into a streetwear object by pairing it with musicians whose audiences found the joke appealing. The first Post Malone collaboration, in November 2018, sold out in ten minutes.
- First drop sell-out
- 10 minutes
- Quarterly revenue at the time
- $261.1M, +7.3% YoY
- Repeat collaborators
- Post Malone, Bieber, Bad Bunny
What happened
The strategic move was accepting the mockery rather than fighting it. A brand arguing that its shoes are stylish loses; a brand handing them to Post Malone, Bad Bunny and Justin Bieber in limited numbers lets the audience decide the shoes are funny and therefore desirable.
The collaborations repeated because they worked — subsequent drops with Post Malone, Bieber and Bad Bunny sold out in hours or less. WWD reported the programme contributed to a quarter in which Crocs posted $261.1 million in revenue, up 7.3% year on year.
Note the limits of attribution here: a collaboration that coincides with a strong quarter is not proof it caused the quarter. What is verifiable is the sell-out speed and the earned coverage.
Campaign details
- Campaign
- Post Malone collaborations
- Launched
- 2018
- Sector
- Fashion
- Platforms
- Instagram and Retail
Creators involved
- Post Malone
What to take from it
If the audience is already joking about your product, join the joke rather than correcting it. Scarcity then converts the attention.
Sources
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Post Malone Crocs Collab Shows the Power of the Influencer
WWD / Sourcing Journal -
Crocs Drops Second Post Malone Collab
WWD Footwear News