Crocs are like the Marmite of footwear. Some love them, others hate them.
Named as one of the most unforgivable fashion mistakes of all time, the footwear choice has divided opinion.
Despite this, the brand has reported an 18% YOY increase in e-commerce revenue and has collaborated with fashion houses like Balenciaga and Christopher Kane, in addition to popular artist Post-Malone whose collab sold out in under 10 minutes.
When KFC wanted to make a serious statement and steal some of the New York Fashion Week spotlight, the fast-food chain teamed up with Crocs on a highly-memorable and unique brand activation.
The two brands teamed up to create the KFC X Crocs Bucket Clog, a limited-edition shoe covered in a fried chicken print that was sure to set tongues wagging.
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The seriously avant-garde platform clogs featured the iconic KFC red-striped bucket on the base of the Croc and came with two attachable drumstick ‘jibbitz’ that could easily be mistaken for the real deal. They even smelt like fried chicken.
Debuting the eccentric shoes at New York Fashion Week, KFC and Crocs were clearly looking to ruffle some feathers amongst the fashionistas and designers looking to secure press headlines.
Adding an influencer marketing component to the campaign, the collab was endorsed by artist Me Love Me Alot (MLMA) who has over 1.2 million followers on Instagram.
MLMA was also the star of the promotional video, where the influencer could be seen using tongs to reveal the new Crocs designs from a deep fat fryer. Crocs also posted the promo video on its social media channels:
Coming soon, fresh out of the fryer. Put #KFCCrocs on your bucket list. @kfc melovemealot pic.twitter.com/ONh33waFgF
— Crocs Shoes (@Crocs) February 12, 2020
Taking it beyond an experiential stunt, the Classic Clog will also be available to the public in the Spring.
No stranger to brave and barmy merchandise, this isn’t the first time KFC has invented a wacky product to boost sales. Remember the fried chicken bucket hat, and the limited-edition chicken scented fire logs?