Crocs: How The World’s Most Hated Shoe Went Viral

You know that bit at the end of the news? The fun story? The one that’s meant to make you smile a bit or reflect on something? Well, this week’s fun story appears to have a business theme and it seems to be about rubber shoes with holes in them. For years, Crocs have been the target of ridicule from people of all ages. However, this week, social media is awash with a tinge of sadness at the potential loss of such an iconic fashion piece.

Crocs are a simple yet iconic product and the company that makes them has announced that the firm is to close its last remaining factories. Businesses make these types of difficult decisions all the time, however, something about Crocs’ announcement resonates with people. The future of the Crocs remains unclear, but the reaction, both positive and negative, has been huge and there are a few factors to consider when wondering why.

Social media success generally comes down to one thing — emotion. Ultimately, a bit of social media content, regardless of format, lives or dies on its ability to make the audience feel something. It may be joy or fear, it may make people angry or proud or it may just make them laugh. Whatever, the emotion, successful social media content makes people feel something. This business decision from Crocs to close their last factory makes people feel something. For many it’ll be fear that the future of one of their favourite products is in doubt, and for others, joy that this crime to fashion may be coming to an end. This reaction is rare but for a couple of reasons, I don’t think it’s all that surprising.

Crocs had their ‘heyday’ in the early 2000s. For engaged, social media native millennials like myself, this is a time we look back on with great fondness. For many, memories of the early 00s will feature long summers on family holidays at the beach with friends, cousins and grandparents. For an significant number of us, a pair of Crocs probably made an appearance. Regardless of any ridicule at the time, Crocs have a place in these memories, making them a genuine piece of nostalgia for a generation that is more than happy to like, comment, share and tag friends in Facebook articles.

When it comes to social media content, nostalgia is, for my money, the most powerful emotion when targeting a millennial audience. In June, I made a Facebook vlog targeting millennials that grew up in Edinburgh specifically to test the power of nostalgic content. I visited the former site of The Jelly Club, a soft play centre famed for hosting children’s birthday parties in the late 90s. The result was one of my most engaged and widely shared videos ever. The power of nostalgia shouldn’t be underestimated by businesses and goes some way to explaining the viral reaction to Crocs’ announcement.

Alongside nostalgia, another factor is likely contributing to this reaction. Crocs are a product that, in a way, transcend demographics. They are globally successful, prone to cloning and worn by people of all genders, cultures and ages. This has given the product a level of cultural relevance replicated by few others. The shoe’s undeniable practicality have won over famous faces such as George W Bush and Michelle Obama whereas its status as an international item of mockery has resulted in appearances in TV shows such as The US Office.

Online, the Facebook page ‘I Don’t Care How Comfortable Crocs Are, You Look Like a Dumbass’ has over 1.3million likes and blog IHateCrocs.com was featured in a New York Times article. Love them or hate them, Crocs are more than just shoes.

Crocs capture the imagination of the internet in a way that few other products have. Their ability to split opinion and conjure feelings of nostalgia among young social media users results in millions of shares and tags on any story, video or meme about them. This mix of emotion and cultural spotlight has made the news of Crocs’ uncertain future a social media mega story.

Fear not though, this isn’t the end for the Crocs brand. Despite recent rumours of financial trouble and speculation about the company’s future, Crocs have assured customers across the globe that; “Crocs will continue to innovate, design and produce the most comfortable shoes on the planet. As we streamline our business to meet growing demand for Crocs, we’re simply shifting production to third parties to increase our manufacturing capacity”.

It’s unclear what this factory closure means for Crocs. It may be the end or the future may continue to be bright and rubber.