Crocs on turning entertainment into engagement at every touchpoint

00:00:00: We're keeping things relevant, responsive, and also connected.

00:00:04: So being digitally led and social first is a key for us to meet the fans where they are and creating content, offering experiences that feel really unique to what they expect.

00:00:17: Inside Fashion Marketing,

00:00:19: a podcast by

00:00:20: Zolando Partner Marketing Services,

00:00:23: shaping love brands

00:00:24: and supporting your long-term growth through customer-centric marketing.

00:00:36: Hello and welcome dear listeners, glad to have you on this show.

00:00:40: I'm Haike Larry, Director, Partner Marketing and Consultancy at Zalallo Partner Marketing Service, helping connect fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands to consumers all over Europe.

00:00:51: After seeing him in person at this year's Zalando Partner Day in September and co-hosting our third ZMS Masterclass there, I'm not more than happy to have Jan Libosek, Group VP Head of International Marketing at Crocs join us here today.

00:01:07: Big welcome Jan, pleasure to have you.

00:01:10: And first of all, how was Partner Day for you?

00:01:13: Did you enjoy the so to say class reunion with all other fashion sports and beauty brands?

00:01:20: So hi and thanks again for the invitation and congrats on an impeccably organized event.

00:01:26: So I really enjoyed the conversation with all the key players in the industry to understand how they are adapting to the rapid evolution of consumer needs and all in a very relaxed atmosphere.

00:01:37: So we're looking forward for next year edition.

00:01:40: Okay, perfect.

00:01:41: I have to say, this is my favorite business day by far of the year.

00:01:45: So I'm super happy to hear that you enjoyed it as well.

00:01:49: And now before we get to it, I have a burning question.

00:01:53: It is at least in Berlin, crazy cold outside.

00:01:56: So are you wearing crocs today?

00:01:59: Of course I am.

00:02:01: I'm actually wearing, you know, I went for a classic look.

00:02:04: So white classic clog, fully loaded with golden metallic gibbons.

00:02:10: So I was feeling in a blingy mood today.

00:02:14: Okay, okay.

00:02:16: So that's a fancy Wednesday on your side.

00:02:18: Super.

00:02:19: Okay.

00:02:20: And so for everyone not aware, you must know that Jan always wears crocs, right?

00:02:25: No, despite the weather and the occasion, also in our speaking slot, of course.

00:02:30: And I think it's fantastic that you're a true brand ambassador.

00:02:35: So we have a rather new tradition Jan in this podcast.

00:02:39: So the previous guest always shoots a question for the next one to answer.

00:02:44: And the fun part is they are not knowing who's the next guest.

00:02:48: So our last one was Dr.

00:02:50: Janika Bock from Google, and she wants to know, what's the most out of the box example on how you apply AI to your ways of working?

00:03:02: Yeah, that's a great question.

00:03:02: So thanks for asking this question.

00:03:06: So AI is definitely a very powerful.

00:03:09: to optimize weather working and gain time for all the teams.

00:03:12: However, I think that that should not be used as a substitute for human creativity and also original ideation, but rather as an enhancer.

00:03:23: So recently we've seen a lot of gain efficiency on leveraging AI in the briefing stages before shooting a marketing campaign.

00:03:31: AI is helping us to create very detailed storyboard and pretty quickly to ensure that there's consistency between the brief and the execution.

00:03:42: Okay, fantastic example.

00:03:43: Yeah, super cool.

00:03:45: But now back to partner day where we were able to share Crocs learnings and experiences with partners during the masterclass.

00:03:54: And since this is an invaluable and the feedback was so amazing, we also wanted to share that wisdom beyond our partner base here.

00:04:03: So Jan Crocs definitely has become a cultural symbol, right?

00:04:09: Law of debated even means.

00:04:11: And how do you transform the cultural relevance into real brand impact?

00:04:17: So I will say that Crocs has built its brand by leading through digital and social.

00:04:22: So we like to say that we are digitally led and socially first brand.

00:04:27: So we think that the strength that the brand defined is in creating authentic connections and keeping our marketing both globally consistent at the same time locally relevant.

00:04:38: So I'm going to take you through a recent history of our brand.

00:04:43: And let's go back to twenty sixteen when Crocs was on the wrong side of a culture.

00:04:49: So a stock price was as low as six dollars.

00:04:52: And as you mentioned, Crocs memes were actually ranked the third highest top Google search.

00:04:59: So this is where we had this realization that we had to create a brand transformation.

00:05:05: So instead of running from the polarization, we've decided to lean into it.

00:05:10: So we chose to be unapologically authentic and reignite our icon, the classic clock.

00:05:15: And we've done that by showing consumers not just how to wear it, but how we could connect with their own personality.

00:05:22: So whether or not you were crocs, everybody's aware of crocs.

00:05:25: So we have a brand that has one of the highest unaided awareness.

00:05:29: So at that time, crocs didn't have an awareness challenge, but a relevance opportunity.

00:05:35: So what we've done is that we lean into that tension and that gave us permission to be bold and creative.

00:05:41: So we've decided to create a new brand motto, come as you are, that represents an invitation for everybody to come as they are with self-expression, versatility, and optimism.

00:05:53: So what we strive to do now today is to work as close to the market and as close to the consumers as possible.

00:06:01: ensuring that our brand stay culturally relevant and true to its community everywhere in the world.

00:06:06: So with the help of Zalendo marketing services, we've been able to take that cultural heat and transfer that into structured, scalable campaigns across Europe.

00:06:16: I can take some recent examples.

00:06:18: So in France, for example, earlier this year, we collaborated with singer Oshi around the launch of the Bay Cog.

00:06:25: And it was all about self-expression, creativity, and personalization through our GBITS charms.

00:06:31: And this activation combined a Zalendo.fr product page activation with coordinated social media campaigns to connect with French consumers in an authentic and impactful way.

00:06:42: And in Germany, as well earlier this year, we partnered with rapper Jamoulou to support like our Echo collection that was fully aligned with the street lifestyle and music culture.

00:06:52: So that campaign included a full website activation on Zalendo.de for our Echo product page and also a social media activation through the channel of the singer, Crocs Germany, and also Zalendo to drive traffic and engagement.

00:07:08: And as well, Zalendo has been a great partner serving as our exclusive ETAL partner for two of our most strategic product collaboration this year.

00:07:18: First with French singer Luan.

00:07:20: and most recently with the Elevator Boys in Germany.

00:07:24: Oh yeah, this was great fun and so many amazing examples that you're listing and maybe you can double down on the following.

00:07:33: So many brands struggle to turn around fandom into business results.

00:07:39: How does Crocs place cultural activations like the one you just named in the center of everything while also delivering the commercial results?

00:07:49: So we like to say that we are a fan-centric brand, not necessarily a consumer-centric brand, but going a bit further, saying that the fans are definitely at the center of everything that we do.

00:07:59: And we've decided to take a very simple approach.

00:08:03: It's listening to the fan and then responding, and we try to do that as fast as possible.

00:08:08: So we turn inside through all the social information that we're getting and turn that into action by moving fast to adapt, engage, but also deliver in a way that feels authentic to our own community.

00:08:21: So that's why we place a lot of value in listening to the fans and what they're asking for us.

00:08:27: And then translate that energy into our strategy, activations.

00:08:31: And sometimes I will also to surprise and they like the fans, not expecting us to show up in some places.

00:08:38: So that's this first approach that is articulating around listening, core creating, and then we let the monetization happen naturally.

00:08:50: this helping us to connect creativity to commerce.

00:08:53: From exclusive drops to regional collaboration, we want to make sure that we play in culture, not by chasing hype, but around strengthening the brand relevance in ways that naturally translate into business growth.

00:09:09: And I can highlight two examples that demonstrate that.

00:09:13: So the first one is that we launched a collaboration with Disney.

00:09:17: He's a big partner for our brands around the movie cars.

00:09:21: And specifically the character Lightning McQueen.

00:09:25: And we drop a product for kids where we created a classic plug in the shape of like inspired by the character.

00:09:36: And the shoes could for lighting up when you're actually walking.

00:09:40: So it was a great success.

00:09:41: We sold out the shoes and then like a few days after receiving, you know, one DM, three DMs, and then it turned into a hundred DMs, a thousand DMs of adults asking us to create exactly the same product, but for adult sizes.

00:09:57: And that became a whole social movement.

00:10:00: The fans rallied together.

00:10:01: They created online petitions for us to develop that product.

00:10:05: And so what we've done is that we've listened to the fan requests, and then we dropped those products for adults.

00:10:12: And we've been releasing limited editions of the same product for four times already, because the fan keep on asking us around that franchise.

00:10:21: And we've decided to also extend the funds, not only to one character, but to several characters, and those have been really successful campaigns that engage with the consumers in a very authentic way.

00:10:33: Another example, date back to two thousand seventeen, exactly on October twenty-third, when the marketing team woke up and then we were training on Twitter.

00:10:45: That was quite surprising because there was no campaign that was planned on that day.

00:10:49: So we were really surprised that we were so high in the references of our brand on the platform.

00:10:56: And what we realized is that the fans themselves decided to hijack National Crocodile Day to show their excitement around our brands.

00:11:09: So they tagged us on that day.

00:11:11: So we've decided to reward the funds and make this day a specific day every year and actually extend the fund to a full month and we rename October Croctober.

00:11:25: So every year it's a celebration of the fine creativity.

00:11:29: So you want to spotlight specific fans and the way they are taking your product and making them their own by showing them on our campaign, putting them on our social channels and also ask them what they would like us to release as an exclusive product.

00:11:45: So every year we have a one-off product that is released on October twenty-third.

00:11:49: So two years ago, we released a KROX cowboy boots, which was pretty popular, and it was also lined with the trend at that moment.

00:12:00: Then last year, we released Crocs for Dogs.

00:12:05: So you could wear exactly the same pair of shoes, that's your favorite pets.

00:12:11: And then this year, we have released a high knee boot.

00:12:16: That was the perfect fashion item to enter the colder month.

00:12:20: I think you're the first brand to claim a whole month for them.

00:12:26: That's so cool.

00:12:29: Thank you for sharing this, Jan.

00:12:32: Of course, working in ZMS, I'm very curious, you mentioned it earlier, that we help you to position crocs more than with just performance.

00:12:45: Here, I'm curious, how do you, on your side, ensure performance beyond the lower funnel with us?

00:12:52: Sure.

00:12:52: So, I think the partnership with DMS enables us to come back to consumer insights with a creative execution.

00:13:00: And that's helping us to amplify our work around building the brand, telling meaningful stories, and also, activate our cross-off full funnel.

00:13:09: So, we are working together from awareness and storytelling.

00:13:14: to conversion at the end.

00:13:16: And I will say like a recent example is our collaboration around the Elevator Boys that we launched with Zalendo at the Brand Experience Hub in Berlin.

00:13:26: And it wasn't about instantly generating sales.

00:13:31: We created an immersive moment that built loyalty but at the same time deepened the connection between fans and the brand.

00:13:39: Yeah, that's a super good example.

00:13:41: And while it sounds, of course, now so logical and easy to come along, maybe you can tell us a bit more, the elevator boys and crux activation.

00:13:51: This was a really bold move, right?

00:13:53: A real cultural icon you partnered up with.

00:13:57: And how did this idea came to life?

00:14:00: And how did you make sure it pays off, as you mentioned, even beyond the sales?

00:14:06: So we team up with the Elevator Boys.

00:14:08: So for those who are not familiar, they are content creators, but also a boys band group.

00:14:14: And we work with them to create some originally relevant product, collaboration for Germany, but also extended to the rest of the European region.

00:14:22: So the way we approach our partnership with collaboration is to make sure that we have partners that have the same values, but also share the love for our brand.

00:14:31: And also we involve this partner in the co-creation of the product.

00:14:34: So for that, collaboration, we've developed two different classic clogs and five gibbets packed that each single member of the brand designed themselves.

00:14:47: But it wasn't just a one-off launch.

00:14:50: We started back in twenty-four with social media content to build authenticity with the fans.

00:14:57: And this year, before the launch of the collaboration, we've also teased the collab products ahead of the reveal in their music video, California.

00:15:07: So it was an organic exposure that felt natural and authentic to the fans.

00:15:12: And we worked with Zalendo as our exclusivity network partner to amplify the launch in their newly open experience hub in Berlin.

00:15:21: And we're super happy to offer to the fans a fully immersive summer California vibe.

00:15:27: So we had bodega style display, vintage arcade games, claw machine with crocs goodies.

00:15:35: We also had some like nice tasty drinks, snacks, DJs, and even a branded elevator photo booth, which is the signature of the band.

00:15:44: So fans, they just didn't like watch.

00:15:47: They were really part of the experience.

00:15:50: And from a commercial standpoint, the fans even had access as an exclusive preview of the product.

00:15:57: So there was limited units that were available for purchase online at the event via a QR code.

00:16:02: And what I will say is that the highlight of the event was a free hour meet and greet of the fans with the member of the band.

00:16:10: It also showed the engagement of the band that extended the connection with the fans for three hours.

00:16:20: So the fans got photos, of course, signatures, and they celebrated together the launch of the collaboration.

00:16:26: So I will say that it is truly a three-sixty, integrated marketing campaign.

00:16:30: So social media.

00:16:31: pro-development, RL experience, that is more and more important, and of course the e-commerce layer.

00:16:38: So we offer a touristic fan journey and ZMS help us to scale it from a pure commercial launch to a real cultural moment.

00:16:50: Fantastic, and... I saw so many great elevator selfies.

00:16:54: And of course, if you get the chance to have an elevator pick with the elevator boys, certainly we saw that nobody left all of that.

00:17:03: So cool.

00:17:04: And when we talked about this on partner day, Jan, the campaign pretty much launched that day, right?

00:17:11: So you were not able to share some KPIs with us on that day.

00:17:15: But yeah, would you like to do this maybe now?

00:17:18: Yeah, sure.

00:17:19: So I mean the campaign exceeded our expectation.

00:17:22: I think one of the most important part of that result of the campaign is the new consumers that we managed to acquire through the collaboration.

00:17:32: So we require more than a third of the consumer that purchase for new consumers.

00:17:37: So it's definitely a key pillar of our partnership strategy is making sure that we can reach new consumers that we might not be able to reach directly without a third party.

00:17:47: The campaign generated more than a million impressions and then we had an impressive click through rate above three percent.

00:17:55: Oh, that's fantastic.

00:17:56: And yeah, so happy to hear that you were delighted by the results.

00:18:02: Maybe we're switching gears a bit into a question of traditional retail media being quite conversion heavy.

00:18:09: And I would love to know why.

00:18:12: do you believe fashion and lifestyle brands need a different approach, like the one that you are taking on for several years already and very successfully.

00:18:21: Yeah,

00:18:23: so I threw that traditional media, they often focus on immediate conversion, right?

00:18:28: But I don't believe that for fashion brands, lifestyle brands like Crocs, that's enough.

00:18:36: that we need to know the path that is taking the consumer through conversion.

00:18:41: And it's way longer than just looking at the lower part of the funnel.

00:18:45: So a big part of a strategy is to leverage third party.

00:18:50: So we can include in that bucket inferences, ambassadors, content creators.

00:18:55: And they are helping us to show to the consumer how they could style the product and use our product in real life.

00:19:03: And having those third party helping us to authenticate our product, it makes the content more natural, more organic, and it also drives engagement.

00:19:13: And at the end, fans will be guided to the full journey and sales will come eventually.

00:19:19: And to amplify those intensity and reach, we partner with brand ambassadors and inferences that are Crocs fans.

00:19:26: And actually, we're pretty fortunate to have a lot of crocs fans among all the different tiers of the Ambassador Pyramid.

00:19:33: And they really help increase our brand's reliability and consideration.

00:19:38: And we can say that they continue to bring new consumers to our brand every single day.

00:19:43: So that approach really helped us to drive both cultural relevance and commercial success over the past three years.

00:19:50: And the partnership with DMS helped us to amplify that strategy by mixing storytelling, culture, And of course, Garmers.

00:19:57: Sounds

00:20:00: like a really great recipe for success here.

00:20:03: And I wonder, Jan, we live in an attention economy.

00:20:09: And we see that the attention span gets shorter and shorter.

00:20:13: So how do you keep croc storytelling fresh without losing consistency?

00:20:19: So as we put the fun at the center of our strategy, we listen closely, we adapt quickly.

00:20:24: and we turn that side into action.

00:20:26: I think that approach is helping us that whether you're engaging your fans in Berlin, Shanghai, Delhi, New York, we're keeping things relevant, responsive, and also connected.

00:20:38: So being digitally led and social first is a key for us to meet the fans where they are and creating content, offering experiences that feel really unique to what they expect.

00:20:52: At the same time, we want to make sure that we keep our brand consistent across the world.

00:20:57: So that global, local approach is helping us to ensure that the storytelling is consistent across markets, but culturally relevant in every place as we operate.

00:21:09: And think what is very important is to understand where the consumers are spending time.

00:21:15: And this is where we want to be.

00:21:17: We want to meet the consumers where they feel the most engaged and where they also like to spend their time.

00:21:24: And I have to say for our core consumers mostly on digital platform and gaming play a big part in our strategy.

00:21:32: It's a super exciting place because it opens new ways to connect with our key audiences.

00:21:38: And we've been engaging with the consumers on those platforms on Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft with great success.

00:21:46: I would also say that the collaborations and partnerships, they're also helping us to keep our storytelling fresh.

00:21:53: So we have a wide variety of partners we work with from brands, designers, celebrities.

00:22:00: But again, we want to make sure that the people that we chose to work with, they are truly Crocs fans.

00:22:06: And they also align with our brand values of individuality, inclusiveness, and also self-expression.

00:22:14: So it is a way for us to give to the fans what they want, sometimes give to the fan what they don't expect, but also introduce Crocs to new audiences.

00:22:24: And also it's helping us to push our own boundaries from the product design to the way we're going to craft our marketing campaigns.

00:22:33: So I think definitely all those efforts are helping us to transform Crocs from a clog to an icon.

00:22:42: It's also a way for us to engage with consumers with products that truly feel as unique as they are while maintaining consistency and creating an authentic brand connection.

00:22:55: That has certainly worked super cool.

00:22:58: So looking ahead, what's the biggest opportunity you see for brands to shape the future of brand building?

00:23:06: Well, I will say there's two important brands.

00:23:08: that is helping brands to be successful.

00:23:11: And to remain relevant, I will say it's imaginative agility and innovation.

00:23:17: Those two combined will help brands to carry into the future and all them to tap into new trends and conversation as they are happening.

00:23:27: Speed is more important than ever.

00:23:31: So those brands, if they manage to combine those key elements, they will be able to scale.

00:23:38: fan-first culture-led activation across all markets.

00:23:41: And working with ZMS, tapping into your audiences, your insights, is helping us to anticipate the trends and not just follow them.

00:23:50: So I think that together, we can really define and redefine how fashion brand grows.

00:23:56: Not simply by just selling, but creating culture, building community, and shaping trends from the ground up.

00:24:05: Perfect.

00:24:06: Thank you so much, Jan, for joining our podcast and sharing your expertise on cultural relevance.

00:24:12: And it's always a huge pleasure to discuss those things with you.

00:24:15: So I'm already looking forward to catch up at the end of next year on what amazing stunts you have come up with then.

00:24:26: And so, you know, the last question, it's now your turn to think about a question you would like to leave for the next guest to answer.

00:24:35: Right.

00:24:35: So I will be... curious to know where they look for inspiration.

00:24:41: you know when they are sometimes maybe like you know struggling.

00:24:45: so that would be my question for your next guest.

00:24:50: Oh, that's a good one.

00:24:52: Okay.

00:24:53: So thank you so much for leaving this as well.

00:24:55: And yeah, thanks to all of you for tuning in.

00:24:59: And if you're looking for more, we've dropped some useful links in the show notes of this episode.

00:25:04: Make sure to check them out.

00:25:06: And if you liked this episode, then make sure to hit subscribe.

00:25:10: We'll have more wisdom from top marketeers across our partner base in the next episodes.

00:25:16: And I'm saying now, ciao for now.