Enthusiastic and genuine fan engagement has been are central to Crocs’ DNA. From home-grown signature events like “Croctober” and #CrocDay to its notable splash on TikTok with the #ThousandDollarCrocs challenge, the company has gone all-in on social and earned media to keep #CrocNation talking. But of all of the brand’s antics, nothing keeps fans buzzing quite like its collaborations with Diamond-certified GRAMMY® Award-nominated artist Post Malone.
While high fashion collaborations with the likes of Balenciaga and Christopher Kane helped spark renewed brand interest, it was Crocs’ first collaboration with Post Malone that ignited passion for the brand’s iconic Classic Clog while setting the bar for a new and ever-growing generation of Crocs collaborators.
It’s no secret that Crocs’ five collaborations with Post Malone have been among the company’s most successful. Not only do they give fans what they want with unique, trend-right designs and increasingly impactful launch activations, but continue to do so in ground-breaking and unexpected ways, delighting mutual fans and generating tremendous buzz with each new “drop.” In fact, it’s that element of surprise and delight that continues to build ongoing excitement around what Post Malone and Crocs are up to next.
In 2020, the partners challenged themselves to level up the fan experience and earned media coverage for their fifth collaboration – no small task given their long track record of success and the new realities of COVID-19. They set their sights on eye-catching new designs and a launch strategy designed to uplift fans in a challenging year.
Post Malone and Crocs have always shared a similar, straightforward approach to fan engagement: genuinely engage with and encourage fans to be their true self. It’s a belief in those values that made the partnership so authentic and meaningful in the first place. Post wore Crocs long before their first collaboration, but when the opportunity arose, he wanted to create something unique and special for his fans. Over the years, the artist and brand have worked together to create one-of-a-kind designs that spoke to Post’s style and personality. When the first collaboration dropped in 2018, it was immediately clear that fans of both Post and Crocs were enthusiastically onboard.
However, the magic of this partnership has scaled beyond the new designs and product sales. With every collaboration, they seek to create authentic moments that connect Post’s fans to something he’s genuinely passionate about.
The partners also challenged themselves to evolve the conversation for each subsequent launch. From surprise giveaways of now sold-out collections to unique moments of fan surprise and delight that have taken the world by storm, Post and Crocs have continued to raise the bar for fans with each collaborative outing.
As they planned their fifth collaboration in 2020, Crocs and Post Malone looked to evolve their winning formula in ways that appropriately reflected a year of unprecedented challenges. Their answer? More product options, and more focus on uplifting fans and frontline workers.
The Post Malone x Crocs Duet Max Clog II featured two separate color options (black and pink) for the first time, along with distinctive Post-inspired design elements, including Jibbitz charms that spoke to his style and personality.
The shoes were matched with a global, fan-first rollout plan designed to elevate the consumer experience during an otherwise challenging year. Together, Crocs and Post kicked-off the campaign by safely giving away 5,000 pairs of the coveted clogs to unexpecting fans across four continents through a unique digital experience. They then presented another 2,000 pairs to students and faculty at Post’s alma mater, Grapevine High School in Texas. Finally, the duo teamed up with nonprofit Musicians On Call to distribute 10,000 free pairs to frontline healthcare workers and hospital staff at 70 hospitals across the United States.
The Post Malone x Crocs Duet Max Clog II sold out in hours. All told, the launch generated more than 5.6 billion earned media impressions with top-tier editorial coverage echoing the goals their latest partnership. On social media, Crocs owned organic content garnered 4.6 million impressions, nearly 200,000 engagements and more than 363,000 Instagram Story views. On December 4, 2020, the day Post Malone and Crocs’ latest collaboration was announced to the world, Crocs saw its highest volume of single-day Crocs mentions during Q4 2020 and saw the second highest volume of single-day Crocs mentions YTD.
The successful fifth collaboration enabled Post Malone and Crocs to build on its string of hits, strengthening loyalty of existing fans and creating new ones for both the brand and artist. Launch events were highlighted by dozens of social media posts featuring influencers, A-list celebrities, healthcare workers and high school students sharing photos with their new shoes.
