Crocs
Larry Chen
Mr. Moffett
Honors Language
4/12/13
Crikey Mate! Look at the Size of that Croc! Croc’s have spread around the world like wildfire. Growing in popularity and even finding their way to the feet of famous celebrities such as Morgan Freeman, Jack Nicholson, and even former President George. W. Bush. But, the question is, how such exquisitely ugly shoes rose to fame in just a few years. I mean, if you’ve ever seen a pair of crocs, they aren’t the most fashionable or stylish shoes in the world, but somehow they rose to the top and it seemed like everyone was wearing them for a few years. It’s simple, Crocs tipped. The Croc epidemic fits all the qualities of the tipping point, the point when a buildup of minor changes triggers a significant change. In this case, the change is Croc’s sudden boost in popularity. The first rule of the tipping point is “The Law of the Few” which shapes the idea that social epidemics are controlled or caused by a handful of people who have high social status or strong social connections. This fits the qualities of the “Croc Epidemic” because there was a small group of people known as Connectors, Mavens, and Salespeople who had a large influence on Croc’s rise to fame. Chef and Food Network Star Mario Batali supported Crocs and voluntarily endorsed them. He had such a great impact on the company that Crocs even started a special Batali line of shoes for him. “Celebrity chef Mario Batali is among the shoes' most prominent (and unpaid) proponents.” (Huget). Batali is acting as a connector or someone that knows lots of people and has a special power of bringing the world together. Many people began to buy and wear crocs after they saw Batali wear the shoes because he is so widely known. As the number of customers increased, so did the number of Mavens, who are people we look to for new information. This was due to the fact that the Mavens were the customers themselves. People who bought and wore Crocs began to tell their
Mr. Moffett
Honors Language
4/12/13
Crikey Mate! Look at the Size of that Croc! Croc’s have spread around the world like wildfire. Growing in popularity and even finding their way to the feet of famous celebrities such as Morgan Freeman, Jack Nicholson, and even former President George. W. Bush. But, the question is, how such exquisitely ugly shoes rose to fame in just a few years. I mean, if you’ve ever seen a pair of crocs, they aren’t the most fashionable or stylish shoes in the world, but somehow they rose to the top and it seemed like everyone was wearing them for a few years. It’s simple, Crocs tipped. The Croc epidemic fits all the qualities of the tipping point, the point when a buildup of minor changes triggers a significant change. In this case, the change is Croc’s sudden boost in popularity. The first rule of the tipping point is “The Law of the Few” which shapes the idea that social epidemics are controlled or caused by a handful of people who have high social status or strong social connections. This fits the qualities of the “Croc Epidemic” because there was a small group of people known as Connectors, Mavens, and Salespeople who had a large influence on Croc’s rise to fame. Chef and Food Network Star Mario Batali supported Crocs and voluntarily endorsed them. He had such a great impact on the company that Crocs even started a special Batali line of shoes for him. “Celebrity chef Mario Batali is among the shoes' most prominent (and unpaid) proponents.” (Huget). Batali is acting as a connector or someone that knows lots of people and has a special power of bringing the world together. Many people began to buy and wear crocs after they saw Batali wear the shoes because he is so widely known. As the number of customers increased, so did the number of Mavens, who are people we look to for new information. This was due to the fact that the Mavens were the customers themselves. People who bought and wore Crocs began to tell their