BoumanBlog
"How vain is it to sit down and write when you have not stood up to live…" – Thoreau

A few posts back I threw out the rhetorical question, “Can I become a professional blogger?” I looked into some second rate papers who put ads out for bloggers to see if I could in fact be paid to write on the internet. To be considered I needed sample entries. Well, thanks to the copious amounts of free time unemployment gives you, I attempted to write a sample company report (which I found to be not as easy as writing about the lunacy in my life). For now, I have decided to continue my “volunteer” blogging. However I will post my meager sample to appease curiosity. Brace yourselves.

You love them or hate them. It’s that simple. Crocs are taking over the under-ankle world. Everywhere I walk, I see someone with this heinous looking footwear. I’ll temporarily put aside my personal opinions and marvel at the lighting this company captured in a bottle.

Crocs were initially created to solve a common outdoors man dilemma. The founders of Crocs wanted to create a lightweight, slip-resistant shoe with a non-marking sole for boating and outdoor enthusiasts. Their idea spawned Crocs Beach, the original crocs. Since the initial batch of 200 pairs, Crocs has developed into a multi-million dollar company that produces over seven million pairs of shoes a month in 80 different styles and 25 different colors, success any entrepreneur would enjoy.

What made the simple foot fashion known as Crocs into a publicly traded company (Nasdaq: Crox)? Simple word of mouth, the best marketing tool any Brand Manager with an MBA will tell you. The draw behind these Swiss cheese like foot creations is the combination of colors, comfort, and creativity. The light weight of the shoe (6 ounces) make pedestrians feel like they are walking on clouds; the wide variety of colors and Jibbitz[1] allow each consumer to create a Croc that is unique to their personality. The Crocs Company has taken a phenomenon and turned it into a sustained fad.

Crocs have not only taken hold to the feet of the global population, but they are also the target of media scrutiny (except much more viable sources other than me). Print organizations ranging from the Washington Post to the men’s magazine Maxim have taken exception to the footwear. Television personalities such as HBO’s Bill Mahr and Rob Corddry of the Daily Show have also taken comedic liberties at the expense of the shoe. There is even a website devoted to the disdain toward the shoe, I Hate Crocs dot com. Despite these negative media attitudes, or perhaps because of them, Crocs continue to prosper. Crocs have successfully gone from underground cult sensation to a mainstream, name brand.

Crocs has not rested on their success of their initial design and transformed themselves into a viable shoe company. Their website denotes their vast range of new designs, many of which resemble more socially acceptable design rather than their original Crocs model. However, despite the new aesthetically pleasing look, new Crocs stay true to their history and have the same foamy material that made them popular. The Crocs Company seems to be lead by a competent team of individuals who will work hard to make Crocs synonymous with Nike, Adidas, Reebok, and Birkenstock.

While I do not hide the fact that I have much disdain for the original foamy, plastic shoe, I have much admiration for the company that produces them. The sole intention was to make a comfortable, functional shoe. Through word of mouth, Crocs has become a globally recognized brand, a business model worth duplicating. Unfortunately for my eyes, Crocs are here to stay.

[1] Crocs purchased the company Jibbitz that manufactures accessories that snap into the holes in Crocs.