Japan may be onto somethin’ - Listen up, CROCS!

Editor’s Thoughts

Launched in 2006, the foamy shoes were an instant hit for comfort-seekers, but tremendous growth has taken its toll. CNNmoney.com reports, over the span of two years, Crocs’ stock prices plummeted from more than $70 US a share to about $3 share. Combine that with the recession, a bloated inventory, and abundance of knock-offs, and the ongoing controversy surrounding Crocs’ health and safety glitches, the $252 million company is going to have to think fast to maintain their current operation.

But take a look at Crocs Japan. . . they still seem to be doing quite alright during this rough patch, opening their summer attraction, the Crocs’ Yuigihama beach house on the shore of Kamakura shore. To promote the beach house, they’ve also appointed celebrity model Hoshino Aki as their PR icon, calling her the ’special supporter’ of the brand.

For those of you who know Hoshino…you know that she’s the exact opposite of what American Crocs would hire to represent the family-focused outdoor brand. Hoshino is an adult-targeted celebrity, cashing in on her well-endowed chest, and at the age of 32-years-old, she still rocks pigtails embodying the fetishes of many otaku. She even has a life-sized ‘hug’ pillow of her wearing a bikini for those who need a little fantasy to join them in their sleep…

But putting all judgment aside, maybe Japan has done exactly what American Crocs needs to do - sexify the brand. When all goes to the gutter, a pair of short shorts and a low-cut white shirt can go a long ways.

Hoshino’s first pitch at a Baseball Game- Commentators are saying, it’s hard to concentrate on the baseball, when you’re looking at somethin’ else. . .