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When Scott Seamans, Lyndon Hanson and George Boedecker Jr. created Crocs in 2002, their idea was to make comfortable, practical footwear for boaters and gardeners. Seamans, Hanson, and Boedecker were drawn to the shoe's comfort and practicality, not its aesthetic appeal.
In its initial years, with little marketing spend, Crocs relied purely on word of mouth. Its design was unconventional, and often dismissed as ‘ugly’, yet it found a loyal following among restaurant workers, hospital staff, and gardeners who valued utility over looks.
The brand’s first advertising push came in 2005 with the ‘Ugly Can Be Beautiful’ campaign, created by TDA Boulder. Instead of shying away from criticism, the campaign embraced Crocs’ ‘ugly’ tag, attempting to normalise it.
By the close of its fifth fiscal year in 2006, it had sold nearly 30 million pairs of clogs.
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But success was short-lived. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, Crocs shoes were often mercilessly mocked for their appearance, and the organisation had nearly gone bankrupt.
The turnaround came in 2016 from an unlikely source, high fashion. Scottish designer Christopher Kane reintroduced Crocs to the world in his 2017 spring/summer collection, sending models down the runway in earthy-toned Crocs adorned with mineral and geode Jibbitz.
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Soon after, Balenciaga took the baton, presenting 4-inch platform Crocs at Paris Fashion Week in 2017. Since then, Crocs have repeatedly appeared on luxury runways, cementing its shift from anti-fashion to high-fashion.
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After its luxury collaborations, the brand made its way into celebrity culture. Crocs’ first major star collaboration was with Post Malone, followed by campaigns featuring Zooey Deschanel, Drew Barrymore, and even Priyanka Chopra. These ads and collabs marked a new phase in the brand’s storytelling, shifting away from ‘ugly can be beautiful’ to focus on self-expression, fun, and aspirational cool.
Crocs in India
Crocs entered the Indian market in 2007 through a joint venture with Chogori Footwear. In 2013, the brand took over operations in the country. In its initial years, Crocs piggybacked on its international image to market its products and leaned heavily on experiential marketing.
As global trends around brand and celebrity collaborations gained momentum, the shift began to echo in India as well. In 2021, Crocs partnered with Indian rapper Dino James for its global Come As You Are campaign in India and launched a song.
The following year, the brand collaborated with lifestyle label Chumbak to release a limited-edition line of Crocs featuring Paisley and Ikat prints.
As younger audiences embraced the brand, its Indian advertising began reflecting the same playful, youth-centric tone that had driven global resurgence.
Among the many cultural hooks, one seasonal moment that stood out as particularly strategic was the Indian monsoon.
The peak season
For brands across India, monsoon signals the start of one of the year's most emotionally charged marketing seasons. Rain has always been advertising's favourite storytelling device. It symbolises romance in one frame, nostalgia in another, and fresh beginnings in yet another.
Crocs has been equally quick to tap into this moment.
"Monsoon is one of our most important commercial moments across Asia, and Crocs is built for it, both functionally and emotionally," explained Yann Le Bozec, Head of Marketing, Crocs International. "In India, it's more than just a seasonal shift; it's an emotion filled with nostalgia, renewal, and drama."
In 2024, Crocs tapped into Gen Z's passion points through their ‘Splash Your Style’ campaign, centring music and dance as the emotional core. The brand used monsoon as an opportunity to showcase how practical footwear can also be a way of self-expression. A theme that the brand has been dialling down on, ever since.
"For us, [monsoon] is the perfect opportunity to showcase the duality of our product — style and self-expression alongside functionality. Each year, we approach the season with fresh cultural cues, new creative formats, and deeper consumer engagement, but always with our Crocs Classic Clogs and Jibbitz charms at the forefront," Le Bozec said.
For this year’s monsoon campaign, the brand chose to take a different route. Crocs brought two very talked-about trends in India together, blending K-drama storytelling with Bollywood flair, featuring Siddhant Chaturvedi and Korean actress Chae Soobin.
The campaign wasn't just about product placement in a pretty film. It was cultural intelligence at work. "Rain is inherently cinematic and this year, the idea of blending two of the biggest fandoms - K-drama narrative with Bollywood flair - allowed us to tap into romance with playful intensity," he explains.
The casting choice was deliberate. "Siddhant and Soobin helped bridge the cultural gap in an authentic way," with the film spanning not just India but China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
And to promote the campaign, the brand went wild with it across social media. The brand went full "K-drama core" during monsoon season, collaborating with multiple creators who explored India's complex love-hate relationship with rain, Indian creators making content about Korea, and everything in between.
"Social media is our most expressive and responsive platform, allowing us to be in constant conversation with our community," Le Bozec explains. "All our campaigns are rooted in storytelling, supported by socially engaging, snackable content that keeps our audience coming back for more."
This approach has proven effective for the brand. Previous campaigns like 'Your Crocs, Your Rang' and 'Say it with Jibbitz' went viral because "they weren't just announcements, they invited participation,” said Le Bozec.
"Our Holi campaign crossed 300M views on a single Instagram post. Valentine's Day saw Jackie and Orry redefine love with playful charm, with the campaign film reaching 109 million views,” he added.
Apart from social media, the brand brings its campaigns to offline activations as well. “Retail plays a pivotal role in extending the campaign's emotional impact," Le Bozec notes.
For the monsoon campaign, they brought the film to life in stores: "Rain puddle installations and artworks in sync with the campaign to photobooths, promotional offers and a misty signature scent. Store teams wore themed uniforms, and the immersive VM tapped into all five senses."
Beyond this, the brand also hosted a monsoon bloom party in Mumbai to amplify the campaign.
The Gen Z factor
Central to Crocs' success is their laser focus on Gen Z. This pivot required overcoming decades of being labelled the ‘ugly’ and ‘clunky’ shoe. For many, Crocs was just a practical shoe, not a fashion statement.
But this has changed since then, thanks to Gen Z. With over 100 million Gen Z consumers in India, this demographic holds significant sway over the country's consumer landscape. 64% of Gen Z consumers in India regard information from social media or the Internet as authentic, while 63% prefer online shopping to in-store.
"Gen Z is unapologetically expressive, culturally fluid, and values creativity over conformity, making them a natural fit for Crocs," Le Bozec explains. "They seek meaning, identity, and voice in what they wear. That's where Crocs steps in, as a platform for self-expression."
This insight fundamentally changed how Crocs approaches not just marketing, but the entire brand identity. The shift is evident in their campaign choices, from getting Jackie Shroff and social media star Orry for Valentine's Day to casting Gen Z actors Vedang Raina and Rasha Thadani for their festive campaigns. With these ads, the brand tries to show Crocs as part of young India’s culture.
Festive campaigns, such as the Diwali house party and Holi-themed Jibbitz collections, have also helped. They’ve positioned the Classic Clog as something you can wear anywhere, "not just a rainy-day staple," as Le Bozec puts it.
One of Crocs’ biggest wins is Jibbitz charms, the small, customizable add-ons that let people personalise their shoes. This taps perfectly into Gen Z’s love for customisation. "Our customizable Jibbitz charms have become a medium for storytelling, allowing consumers to make even their rainwear feel uniquely theirs," said Le Bozec.
Behind it all is a fast, flexible strategy. Crocs works with everyone from niche creators to big celebrities, ensuring they stay connected to what’s trending. "Gen Z evolves fast, and so do we," Le Bozec noted. "Our strategy hinges on collaboration, speed, and relevance. We actively listen, co-create meaningfully, and move quickly."
What’s next
Looking forward, Le Bozec mentions the brand aims to focus on evolving with cultural changes.
"We will continue to evolve in step with shifting cultural and social trends, while staying true to our brand ethos. Classic Clogs and Jibbitz charms will remain at the heart of our offering, as we explore fresh ways to engage with our community through relevant storytelling and meaningful cultural connections."
For a brand that started as practical footwear, Crocs has transformed every monsoon season into a cultural moment. By reading the room and understanding that Indian consumers want functionality along with self-expression, delivered through stories that speak to their evolving cultural tastes, the brand has turned rain from a seasonal challenge into its biggest opportunity.