Recently, a myriad of articles have appeared attacking Crocs, the colorful Swiss cheese footwear of the squishy variety. Crocs, which swept onto the feet of many in America and into the minds of many a Wall Street investor, have had a remarkable rise to prominence in a short amount of time. Indeed, the media picked up on and in many ways fueled the popularity.
Then, Crocs became the target of serious media scrutiny in America and as far away as Japan. The AP syndicated a story, Got Crocs? Be Careful and the spin off bashing began in local markets everywhere. Not only did editors place this story into their publications, many cut out the one shred of balance hidden 6 paragraphs down: “The Consumer Product Safety Commission said escalator accidents caused more than 10,000 injuries last year, but the agency has few records of specific shoe problems. Only two shoe entrapments have been reported by consumers since the beginning of 2006. One reported in May involved rubber footwear.”
“The popularity of our shoes has helped draw attention to a long-existing issue that we think is very important — escalator safety,” Crocs spokeswoman Tia Mattson.
The frenzy has continued for weeks now with the dangers of flip flops a very rare comparison. One person even took his anti-Crocs campaign to another level by launching a line of shirts and a blog dedicated to his dislike for the brand. Here is the most balanced coverage I could find. Interesting to note: Crocs stock price closed out today 9/24/07 at near their all time high.
3 questions: What does money have to do with the media coverage?
Was Tia Spinning? If you worked for Crocs, what would you have said?
Jason Damata