🔎 User Research

To begin, I performed a Literature Review to discover what a digital marketing campaign is, the cultural signficance of Crocs, Gen Z's relationship with Crocs, and current fashion trends to give myself background knowledge and find promising directions for further research.

Here's what I found:

• Crocs' popularity was sparked in 2020 when the pandemic inspired a "comfort first" waist-down look
• In 2023, fashion trends included the 'oversized' look, Y2K, and most importantly, maximalism— a trend that focuses on individuality and self-expression
• Maximalism has risen due to the depressing state of the world
• Colorful clothes, dramatic shapes, and fun prints are seen as an inspiration or a rebellion
• Crocs are fun, have a weird shape, are extremely customizable (to the point and showing off your custom Jibbitz became its' own trend!), and are a wearable meme
• Laughing at ugly-cute Crocs has helped Gen Z find humor during feelings of powerlessness
• Crocs are unashamedly ugly, a foil against the perfect images generated by celebrities, politicians, social media filters, and corporate design

Methodology

Observational Study

I conducted multiple observations at the entrance of a university to observe students walking to and from the building, keeping track of the style, color, and brand of shoes among students. This was done to help me understand what factors are important to university students in the Netherlands when buying a pair of shoes.

Survey

I made a survey to garner a large amount of students' feelings about Crocs (as a shoe and a brand), as well as find out what they value in a pair of shoes, how they experience digital advertisements, and what digital advertisements they actually engage with.

User Interviews

"I find the shoes extremely ugly. I wouldn't want to be found with them." — Dutch Student

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three university students in the Netherlands— two international students (one from within Europe & one from outside Europe) and one Dutch student. These were done to obtain a deeper, more personal understanding of how students feel about Crocs, what they value in a pair of shoes, and how they experience digital advertisements.  

Secondary Research

I conducted secondary research to learn about Dutch fashion culture, Crocs' competitors (Skechers, Ecco), and the Nike Dunk, as this was overwhelmingly the most-worn shoe by noted in my observational study.

💡Insights

After conducting user research, I created an Affinity Diagram in Miro to cluster my data and synthesize it into meaningful insights.

👤 Personas

The user research made it evident how different students view Crocs (and fashion overall) differently based on a cultural standard. I created personas to find further insight and also give me something to look back on to make sure my designs are user-centered.

🛠️Prototyping and Testing

After gathering insights, I developed two concepts and A/B tested them with students using Qualtrics. I also asked one of the previous interviewees to participate in a Think-Aloud Test, where I instructed her to go through the advertisements as if seeing them while tapping through Instagram Stories and say her thoughts out loud. Students ultimately connected with Concept #2 more, as it feels more authentic and focuses on the Crocs and its range of styles.

Additionally, I asked my mentors at Crocs for their preference, and they ultimately agreed on Concept #2: Your Crocs, Your Way because of its more emotional connection.

✨The Solution

🌍 Impact

In 2025, Crocs launched a campaign called 'Your Crocs, Your Story, Your World' which is"all about flexing your individuality" and features slogan variations of 'Your Crocs, Your Way' such as 'your crocs, your splash.'

✍ Project Learnings