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The business lesson? Never underestimate the power of add- ons, customization, and consumer creativity. When your product becomes a platform instead of just a purchase, you can deepen customer engagement and unlock new revenue streams. From Clearance Racks to Catwalks
reintroducing your product in an unexpected context. Scaling Without Losing Soul Crocs’ rebound wasn’t just luck; it was a smart strategy. Management narrowed its focus on the core clog, expanded through high-profile collaborations, and doubled down on digital sales channels. Instead of trying to be everything to everyone, Crocs rediscovered its essence while allowing the brand to flex across multiple audiences, from nurses to Gen Z trendsetters. Crocs proves that business growth doesn’t always come from expanding product lines. Sometimes, it comes from refining, focusing, and amplifying what you already do best. Building a Movement Today, Crocs is a cultural phenomenon. The brand thrives because it transcended function to tap into identity. For many, Crocs
By the late 2000s, Crocs faced declining sales and critics who
signify individuality and a willingness to defy convention. This is the ultimate lesson for entrepreneurs: The strongest brands don’t just sell products. They create meaning, invite participation, and turn customers into communities. The Crocs journey shows that even the “ugliest” ideas can grow into beautiful businesses when paired with courage, adaptability, and a deep understanding of consumer psychology. Sometimes, what looks like a joke at first glance is the foundation of a movement.
dismissed them as a fad. Inventories piled up, copycats entered the scene, and the global recession hit hard. Many believed the brand was finished. But then came a bold pivot. Fashion designers began experimenting with Crocs on the runway, starting with Christopher Kane in 2016. What had been an anti-fashion symbol suddenly became ironic chic. Soon, luxury brands and celebrities joined the wave, and Crocs were back in the spotlight. Sometimes, survival depends on
HAVE A Laugh
When Toilets Were Taboo The Rise and Fall of the Hays Code
In old Hollywood, even the simplest things could cause trouble. A silly sound effect, a bathroom door, or a misplaced joke might get a film pulled before audiences ever saw it. From the 1930s through the 1960s, studios followed the Hays Code, a list of rules meant to keep movies “clean” after scandals in the 1920s. One rule banned the raspberry, or “Bronx cheer,” a childish noise considered too vulgar for film. Words like “lousy” and “cripes” were also forbidden, and Clark Gable’s famous line from “Gone With the Wind” nearly didn’t make it past censors. Priests and other clergy could be stern or kind but never funny or corrupt, and childbirth was considered too improper to show, even in silhouette. The oddest ban involved bathrooms. Toilets didn’t exist on screen until Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” flushed the rule away in 1960. After that cinematic breakthrough, the Hays Code began to fade.
jwyatt@harrisonlawgroup.com | HarrisonLawGroup.com | 3
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