Executive Vice President & President for the HEYDUDE Brand, Crocs
Search every verified Terence Reilly interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a 2017 interview, Terence Reilly, then chief marketing officer of Crocs, described the company as a $1 billion brand selling over 55 million pairs of shoes annually. He acknowledged that Crocs had experienced a "wonderful fad" and a subsequent decline in popularity, but stated that the brand maintained a "strong fan base" and was working to convert "considerers and neutrals" into loyal customers. Reilly said the company was "listening to our consumer" and focusing on improving search functionality on its website and through wholesale partners such as Amazon, Famous Footwear, and Shoe Carnival. Reilly discussed the company's increasing use of data to model media mix and shift spending from television to digital and social channels, where it could be measured and optimized. He noted that Crocs was prioritizing video content over traditional television spots, as he said consumers were responding more to video. Reilly also speculated about the future of footwear technology, mentioning the potential for voice-activated features and the company's "jibbitz" charms. He stated that Crocs' immediate goal was to "put as many pairs of Crocs on people across the world" and that content creation was a key part of that strategy.
“We're a 1 billion dollar company and we'll celebrate our 15th birthday this year, so pretty remarkable success for a small little brand founded in Boulder, Colorado that's now known the world over. We sell 55 million plus pairs a year, so we're doing a lot of things right.”
“We have a strong fan base, lots of loyal consumers, and we're really trying to convert a lot of those considerers and neutrals to also join our group of loyalists. We're listening to our consumer, you know where our consumer is is where we try and be.”
“We've made a significant improvement in the ability to search for footwear at Crocs.com with our wholesale partners, whether it's through their brick-and-mortar or their e-commerce channels. So we're really listening to where she's shopping and doing our best to reach her and serve her there.”
“Some of our partners alone, Amazon for example, is obviously the big epicenter for a lot of that from both a reach as well as an immediate shopping experience. Certainly our partners, whether it's Famous Footwear or Shoe Carnival, their e-commerce platforms are well traveled, very highly visited, and so where we can sh...”
“In the last few years, data has become an even more significant part of our media mix modeling and figuring out what's the use of television and then how do you move that and migrate that as a brand into more digital and social where we can measure it and optimize immediately.”
“To answer to a board of directors and to shareholders, they want to know how are you spending your money, our money, and how are you maximizing the investment that we trust you with. So we're using data more and more.”
“For Crocs and probably forever, we're looking far more at video content than just traditional television. She's responding more to video than probably 15 or 30 second traditional spots, so the more content creation we can use and through video content, that's the avenue that we're likely pursuing and will continue to p...”
“As a barely 15 year old brand, there are things that we have to really get good at before we can begin to fulfill larger dreams. So right now it's obviously we want to put as many pairs of Crocs on people across the world through a lot of different ways. Content certainly will be one of them for now.”
“From a technology perspective, it's an amazing time to be alive. From virtual reality, wearables—you know, walking around Austin here it seems like everyone has a different Nike watch or Apple watch or a Fitbit or you name it. So what wearable future might footwear take, especially Crocs? We have the opportunity with o...”
Riding the wave of a consumer fad can be a thrilling experience. But sustaining or growing a business after the next hot trend ...
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