Crocs' new campaign celebrates the joy of being unordinary

In a sterile retail space, a store employee carefully slides a pair of Crocs onto a mannequin's feet. What happens next is pure magic: the rigid figure opens its eyes, blinks for the first time, stretches, and takes its first curious steps into the world.

This is the opening of Crocs' new global campaign, ‘Wonderfully Unordinary,’ which launches nearly a decade after the brand's last narrative shift, ‘Come As You Are,’ launched in 2017. The 90-second film follows two mannequins as they experience life for the first time, touching flowers, dancing together, feeling goosebumps for the first time and petting an animal together.

It's an unexpected metaphor for a shoe brand, but that might be the point.

The campaign centres on a simple but resonant idea: in a world increasingly defined by sameness and algorithmic homogeneity, being yourself, however strange or unconventional that might be, is something worth celebrating.

The campaign suggests that the brand is betting on real experience over curated performance. The mannequins, typically the most lifeless objects in retail, become a symbol of awakening and self-discovery. They don't know how they're supposed to behave. They simply feel and respond.

Created with the agency Flower Shop and directed by Adam Berg of SMUGGLER, the film was shot in São Paulo using professional dancers as the mannequins.

This campaign aims to speak more directly to younger consumers who see the world through a different lens, one where individual perspective shapes reality, and everyone has the ability to write their own story.

The campaign arrives at a moment when many people feel exhausted by the pressure to optimise, perform, and conform to trends. Social media has created endless feedback loops where standing out often means following the same playbook as everyone else.

The brand is aiming to position itself against that fatigue. The mannequins in the film don't perform for an audience; they simply exist, discovering what it means to smell a flower or hold hands with a friend. These aren't spectacular moments, but they're portrayed as profound ones because they're genuine.

The message seems designed to resonate with anyone who's felt overwhelmed by the pressure to have everything figured out or to present a polished version of themselves to the world.

‘Wonderfully Unordinary’ is said to be a multi-year brand platform that will unfold throughout 2026 and beyond. The narrative will extend across product launches, digital experiences, partnerships with talent and influencers, retail activations, and outdoor advertising.

The brand is betting that in an era of manufactured authenticity, there's real hunger for something that feels unpolished and alive.

The mannequins, after all, don't know what they're supposed to be. They just know what they are. And the ad film suggests that's wonderfully unordinary enough.