Media Watch July 18, 2007

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

By PJH Staff

‘But they’re so comfortable!’
In this week’s Sunday New York Times, marketing columnist Rob Walker wrote a piece on the persistence of the Crocs shoe craze. The company’s sales, Walker notes, were up three-fold in the first quarter from last year, when it was widely believed the holey clown shoe had reached its cultural zenith.

Not so. According to reports, over 6 million people now own a pair (or more) of Crocs or some knockoff thereof, and the Colorado-based company recently announced a line of high-end “lifestyle” shoes that will use Croslite, the non-rubber, non-plastic material Crocs enthusiasts herald for its comfort and ease-of-care.

Of course, as the ubiquity and in-your-face colors and styles have polarized devotees and dissenters, a counter movement is well underway. One Web site, www.IHateCrocs.com, has garnered a readership and commenter scene of both advocates and critics, each side chiming in with ferocity and dedication. 

One young woman recently posted: “Sure they’re ugly [sic] but apparently 6 million+ people don’t care. They are comfortable. They are washable. They are fungus resistant. And, I AM YOU RESISTANT!!!”

The site also offers persuasive arguments (e.g., Croc-footed brides) for the tackiness inherent for all except toddlers and moms who wear the shoe. Much ado about nothing? Sure, but these heated cultural debates usually come up only when the economy’s doing well, so that’s good. In a perfect world, men will wear deck shoes to the bar-b-que, and women shall embrace the stiletto.
Now about those sport sandals …
— Ben Cannon

Beck & Posh do America
The media is all a-twitter over the latest move by soccer star David Beckham. The Britain-born athletic heartthrob whose right foot is worth more than your home is going to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy this season and is moving his wife and sons to California as well.

But, come on, the man can’t sit still. Are we going to go through all this again when he decided to play for the Dubai Doubloons or whoever the next high bidder will be?
Why a European superstar would move to a country where football involves a pig skin and not fancy footwork is beyond me.

Perhaps it’s explained by the fact that his wife, Victoria “Post Spice” Beckham, has exhausted shopping opportunities in England and Spain. Or perhaps Beckham is nursing his attraction to advertising money by moving closer to the source. Having advertised for Adidas and Disney, he may be in the process of a smooth transition from most valuable player to most marketable human.
— Lucille Rice
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Media Watch July 18, 2007 | Planet JH News Article: Media Watch

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