Can Sydney Sweeney help Crocs turn around its Heydude brand?

BROOMFIELD — Dudes like Sydney Sweeney. But can the superstar actress help make more dudes like Heydude shoes?

Crocs Inc. (Nasdaq: CROX), which bought the casual footwear line Heydude for $2.5 billion in 2021, recently revealed in a news release that the “Euphoria” and “Anyone But You” star will be a face of the brand’s new advertising “campaign to create a movement of Dudes.”

Heydude has been a consistently disappointing performer for Crocs, which this month recorded its best second quarter sale period ever despite ongoing sluggishness from Heydude. 

Revenues for the Heydude line dropped 17.5% year over year to $198 million in the second quarter of 2024. For the full fiscal year, Crocs expects Heydude sales to be 8% to 10% lower than they were in 2023.

“Captured as the Director of Dudes in the campaign, Sweeney pulls the curtain back, showcasing who she is behind the cameras, and invites fellow Dudes, all people alike, to confidently be themselves,” Crocs said of its new promotional effort. “Revealed through a multi-pronged approach, including out-of-home advertising and coordinated social media efforts, the campaign leans into Heydude’s namesake and celebrates the brand’s definition of Dude, focused on comfort, confidence and the empowering complexities of what it means to embrace all sides of self.

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