Who would have thought that a brand’s product, once named one of the “50 Worst Inventions” in the world by Time magazine, would now make a comeback as a trendy favorite among Gen Z youth?

Thanks to the Ugly Chic design trend and innovative marketing on social media, the brand has won a large number of loyal fans in overseas markets such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, and even achieved total annual revenue of over 3.278 billion in 2024.

This brand is Crocs.

 

Image source: Google

The Birth and Development of the Brand

According to reports, Crocs is an American footwear brand whose story began in 2002.

In the first few years, the brand quickly gained traction in the US market thanks to its special foam resin material with anti-slip, antibacterial, and shock-absorbing properties, as well as its iconic hole design.

This product, which combines practicality and distinctiveness, quickly became a popular choice for beach, pool, and other scenarios.

 

Image source: Google

However, between 2007 and 2013, the brand blindly expanded its product line, resulting in severe inventory backlog. Coupled with the impact of the financial crisis, performance plummeted and the company was on the verge of bankruptcy.

In 2014, to reverse the company’s sluggish development, management decisively adjusted its strategy, refocusing on clogs as the core product and targeting the young Gen Z consumer group. They strengthened the brand’s “naturally comfortable” philosophy and launched a variety of products tailored to the personalized needs of young people, which were loved by many consumers and successfully put the brand back on track.

Afterwards, Crocs continued to expand its market by collaborating with cross-industry IPs to enhance its fashion appeal. For example, with the recent hit movie “Zootopia 2”, Crocs partnered to launch a co-branded clog collection.

 

Image source: Crocs

To add more fun, Crocs launched a variety of movie character accessories. Consumers can purchase and match them according to their own preferences and aesthetics, freely creating their own exclusive style.

This free purchasing mechanism further caters to Gen Z’s psychological need for self-expression, successfully igniting their enthusiasm for buying.

 

Image source: Crocs

Multi-Account Matrix Ignites TikTok Trends

Of course, designing and producing products that meet the preferences of the target group is only the first step. To truly sell the products, the brand needs to actively “attract” buyers.

Q: Where do you attract them from?

Crocs’ approach is to use the hugely popular overseas social media platform TikTok to attract buyers.

Q: How do you attract them?

Let’s take a look at the diverse strategies Crocs uses on TikTok.

First, Crocs has established an account matrix on TikTok, opening 8 accounts.

In addition to the main account @Crocs, there are dedicated regional accounts for the United States, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brazil, and the United Kingdom.

For different regions, Crocs has developed different content strategies.

 

Image source: TikTok

For example, the account @crocsshop_us for the US market focuses on livestream selling.

During the recent Black Friday sales season, this account maintained multiple livestreams daily, with hosts responding to audience needs in real time and providing comprehensive product displays and detailed explanations.

 

Image source: TikTok

To maximize the value of livestream content, the account also edits product display segments from each livestream into short videos for posting. This content strategy meets the needs of users who missed the livestream and achieves secondary dissemination of content.

So far, @crocsshop_us has accumulated 135,600 followers and 1.3 million likes, building a relatively stable user traffic pool.

 

Image source: TikTok

Facing the culturally distinct Brazilian market, the Brazilian account @crocsbrasil does not focus on livestreaming, but instead centers on creative content, especially DIY unboxing and decoration tutorials for clogs.

The videos are full of imaginative pairing ideas, which perfectly match the free-spirited and creative nature of Brazilian consumers.

 

Image source: TikTok

This soft “planting grass” approach has helped the account gain 194,800 followers, with individual videos typically getting 100,000 to 300,000 views, establishing a relatively stable content audience.

 

Image source: TikTok

Collaborating with Influencers to Boost Brand Awareness

In addition to managing its own main account and several regional accounts, Crocs also collaborates with many active TikTok micro-influencers to help promote new products.

 

Image source: TikTok

For example, TikTok influencer @bettyyannhill, who has 45,800 followers, is one of Crocs’ partners.

She filmed a 360° video showcasing the brand’s new clogs while sitting in her car. Despite its simplicity, this video has already received 2.6 million views and 41,000 likes.

This shows that although these micro-influencers may not have a huge number of followers, their fan loyalty is extremely high. Their authentic, everyday sharing often brings excellent feedback and greatly helps the brand’s reputation and favorability in niche communities.

 

Image source: TikTok

Conclusion

Nowadays, cross-border logistics is increasingly convenient, and social media tools can accurately reach target audiences. For many domestic companies, they never lack high-quality, affordable products; what they may lack is the determination of the Crocs brand to “understand the market before selling.”

Remember: Overseas markets never reject foreign brands; what they reject is perfunctory, insincere efforts.

When you are willing, like Crocs, to deeply study local culture and build emotional connections, overseas markets will naturally open their doors to you.

After all, brands that truly become part of consumers’ lives can gain a foothold anywhere.​