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Crocs restructures APAC marketing team amid major global rethink to revitalise brand

Crocs promotion in Hong Kong

Crocs promotion in Hong Kong

Struggling shoewear brand Crocs is restructuring its regional marketing operations in Asia following a global reorganisation of the business led out of HQ in the US.

Though the company – famed for its colourful plastic clogs – would not say how many jobs would go, staff at the firm say the changes are significant.

Crocs’ CFO told Mumbrella that “working marketing spend” in Asia would actually increase as “overheads” were cut.

The company also said that it was “very much committed to the Asian market”, which is still a major source of growth.

The news emerges a few weeks after Crocs announced that it planned to close up to 100 of its 624 stores and lay off 183 staff globally.

In an article on Business Insider, the publication covered the brand’s announcement with the headline, ‘Crocs’ Comeback Plan Flopped, And The Brand Is Collapsing‘.

Crocs’ net income fell 44 per cent for the second quarter of this year to $19.7 million, despite a move to diversify its product line away from plastic clogs – regarded by some as a fashion faux-pas.

Jeff Lasher, Crocs’ CFO, told Mumbrella in a statement: “We are in the process of restructuring the organisation globally, and Asia is one of the regions that is being impacted by these changes.”

“Crocs is still very much committed to the Asian market. In fact, we will be increasing working marketing spend – defined as funds that put marketing messages in front of consumers – by about 50 per cent, funded primarily from a reduction of marketing overhead.”

“We are in the process of establishing five leadership centers to leverage and streamline our existing capabilities and build capabilities where key talent is located. Singapore and Tokyo will continue to serve as two of our five Regional Commercial Centers,” he said.

Among the staff known to be leaving the company is Monika Au, Crocs’ Hong Kong-based regional PR and marketing manager, who was with the company for a year.

Mumbrella understands that they restructure does not impact Crocs’ relationship with R/GA, the agency that was appointed as APAC integrated marketing communications and digital agency in October last year.

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