Hey Now - My daughter has an green pair and simply loves those shoes. I agree they remind me of Styrofoam molding, but heh, she loves them. I guess it is all about target marketing. - Mike

I agree. Any strong opinion about a brand is usually (but not always) better than indifference. At least the company knows where they stand and can go from there.

True enough, Mike & Steve...you can't be all things to all people. Nor should you try -- otherwise you'll wind up in that pablum of a mediocre middle.

Anecdotally, though -- I'm surprised at how many pairs of Crocs I see walking about these days. Last weekend, on a beach in southern Maine, it seemed you couldn't toss a Frisbee without hitting someone sporting a pair of Crocs. And that includes 12-year-old boys, their moms, grandmothers, and toddler sisters. When else has a footwear product been so widely embraced...? Maybe earth shoes in the 1970s...?

(That's not a rhetorical question -- I really don't know. Anyone else know of a shoe that's been embraced across the board like Crocs?)

p.s. I have a pink pair. So does my 9-year-old daughter.

Hi Mike,

I really enjoy reading your posts. You make some great points. While I like what the folks at Croc have done, I also wonder if this brand and its funky products like so many other things that are faddish and embraced by popular culture, will simply build to a crescendo before falling off the face of the earth. In other words, I'm wondering if the Croc folks have made plans on where they'll be taking their brand from here. Too many small companies and entrepreneurs launch a unique product or service, work hard for market share, achieve success at a level that even surprises them sometimes, and then lose it. Like it or not: they've got to have a plan if their brands are going to remain relevant in the face of fads and competition.

Thanks for the insight, Mike. I always enjoy reading your posts.

However, this lesson goes way beyond brand. I see this all the time when people try to "manage to the middle" in developing new products or service enhancements. The problem is the theoretical average customer doesn't exist.

Kathy Sierra had a nice post about sparking passion from your community. She showed a graphic that had 'Love....mushy middle.....hate'. She said you want to either be loved or hated, to be in the 'mushy middle' was branding death.

I agree that people may gravitate to brands that are different in some way, whether esthetically appealing or otherwise. My daughter has several pairs of Crocs and swears by their comfort. If they weren't comfortable, I doubt that there'd be this kind of following no matter the look.

I agree w/ Mack and you, Mike, that stirring extreme emotions is good for any product/service/even movies (think Passion of the Christ).

But, what's most important is, as Elaine points out -- the fact that Crocs are mighty comfortable.

If you wish to leverage the buzz generated by its love/hate factor, focus on the product/service.

The Product is King!

The "ugly factor" that both the Scion and Crocs have going for them is that it makes them visually remarkable. You don't forget them easily and when you see them again, there's a jolt of recognition.

Every time I see a Scion on the road, I say to myself, "There's another one." That thought is closely followed by, "What's the appeal?" If I were in the market for a car, this would have led me to promptly investigate it. That's a far cry from the "average" car on the road - those cars where I can't easily tell one from the other.

The look raises awareness and curiosity. But, as previously noted, it's the followup (service, price, comfort, etc) that brings the customer back.

"Build a brand worth being loved, desired, and even hated!"

Mike, excellent post and very good points. I like how you ended it—and I would also add that in addition to love and hate, these brands have also connected with an audience that people didn't know existed. Who knew that a bunch of people would take to boxy cars, and space age looking sandals. Just goes to show you how unpredictable people really are.

Comes down to a unique and outstanding product. It is easy to "hate" the way that something looks, but it is really hard to hate something that makes YOU feel good. And the secret community of Croc wearers can spot each other in a crowd without special handshakes or gestures ... just a knowing nod is required.

This sounds like a chapter pulled right out of 'Tipping Points'. Interesting perspective; cult like 'underground' following makes a product cool regardless of how ugly, it can define a group. Cool factor is worth it's intangible weight in gold. Anybody have
coolness-->widespread hysteria conversion ratios?

Malcom Gladwell's "The Tipping Point" immediately came to my mind as well when reading this post. Apparently Crocs have reached that critical mass appeal, which in this case is probably a cross between comfort and buzz. As a longtime Birkenstock wearer, I understand the fierce loyalty that people can develop about their favorite products, even if other people hate them--and sometimes because of it! By the way, I too love my Whirlpool Duet, but when I saw my first one in Kuwait, I thought the salesman was trying to pull a fast one on this unsuspecting American--a washer and dryer in one machine?!? I asked if it would iron and fold as well...! Thanks for a great post, Mike.

So many good comments - great conversation and thanks to every one!

Crocs balance two brand ownership forces; "difference" and "relevance".

People pay attention difference and useful. Get both qualities working inside your product, your service or even your company culture and you may have success on your hands.

It's fun to think out loud with you all about what it takes to own a great brand.

But Mike -- what we all really want to know is...What color are your Crocs?

: )

Pink - just like yours and your daughter's!

Careful Mike....I can sense the wheels of Ann's next post already spinning.

'Pink Crocs - And the men that wear them'.

;)

I have the black pair of Crocs flip-flops. I still couldn't bring myself to get the clogs (no offense to anyone that has them). By not having the clogs, I don't feel connected to the growing cult of other Crocs wearers since I didn't buy the 'ugly' ones. My flip-flops are pretty comfy though.

I will say that after seeing so many clog versions on people while in Hawaii last month, I did get over the initial shock of how funky they looked at first. I wonder if there will be any imitators...

I hate those things. So much so that I bought the domain. Fight the Crocs pandemic. I Hate Crocs Dot Com!

They are comfortable shoes. I think that is the bottom line. You see less men in suits and less women in dresses nowadays. People are dressing for comfort and convenience.

I agree they are ugly, but they are so comfortable. They feel like you are walking on air.

Volkswagen's Beetle became and enduring brand in the 1960s and 70s marketing itself as an "ugly" but uniqie car. Even after they stopped making the Beetle in favor of more attractive cars, the automaker revived it by popular demand.