DENVER—Crocs Inc. stepped out of its element when it launched a brand of high heels and other women’s shoes that looked nothing like its iconic bright, lightweight clogs.
Now it’s doing it again, with a line of seven-ounce sneakers for men.
The Niwot, Colo.-based company has no intention of abandoning its signature clogs, beloved by some and loathed by others. But it’s pushing to become a shoe brand for all seasons and buyers, chief marketing officer Andrew Davison said.
This summer Crocs plans to extend the sneakers to women and offer women’s shoes made with more translucent materials, while maintaining its ideals of lightweight, odor-resistant, fun, casual footwear, Davison said.
“The next couple of seasons, you’ll see us push the boundaries of what a casual shoe is,” he said.
It’s fairly common for shoe companies to branch out. Ugg Australia added sandals for men to its sheepskin-lined boots, and Cole Haan has gone from serving mostly men to both sexes.
When Crocs launched its more style-oriented women’s shoes a few years ago, it gave the line a new name: You by Crocs. With the Crocs sneakers, the key for the shoemaker will be maintaining its trademark attributes in new offerings, said Steven Hartley, a marketing professor at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver.
“In the past Crocs has meant something to consumers: colorful, comfortable, waterproof, maybe stylish. If the new line is those things also, my guess is that the extension will make sense to them as consumers,” Hartley said.
“There’s some potential for confusing consumers, at least in terms of image, but it’s pretty minimal in a case like this,” he said.
To promote the sneakers, the creative firm Mekanism has engineered a social media campaign geared toward 25- to 34-year-old men, with an interactive video on Crocs’ Facebook page. It also is sharing sneakers with YouTube personalities and other “digital influencers” with online followings in hopes of driving traffic to the video.
“There’s so much content out there, the only way to really insure you’re going to create a viral hit is to leverage folks that have an audience,” said Mekanism President Jason Harris.
Davison didn’t discuss financial figures but said Crocs’ men’s business has doubled in less than two years. He said Crocs expects to outperform that as the casual look gains acceptance.
