Dive Brief:
- Crocs, Inc. promoted Terence Reilly to the newly created position of chief brand officer of both the Crocs and Heydude footwear brands, according to a company news release.
- The position, effective immediately, gives the veteran branding executive a license to set the marketing and creative vision and drive the global messaging for both brands.
- Reilly rejoined Crocs in April of 2024 as president of its Heydude brand after serving as president of tumbler brand Stanley. In his new role, Reilly continues to report to Crocs CEO Andrew Rees and will work in collaboration with Anne Mehlman, brand president for Crocs. Rees will serve as interim president of Heydude until a replacement for Reilly can be found.
Dive Insight:
Before joining Stanley in 2020 as its president, Reilly worked with Crocs as its chief marketing officer for several years.
"The power of the Crocs and Heydude brands is unlike anything I've seen in my 25-plus years of connecting with consumers and culture to drive lasting business results,” Reilly said in a statement. “While we have seen remarkable success over the last decade from Post Malone to Jelly Roll and so much in between, I believe we are just getting started. In partnership with Andrew and Anne, I am honored to play a key role in championing the future vision of Crocs, Inc."
Reilly takes on his new position at a time when Crocs is navigating tariff headwinds. The company expects an $11 million hit to its gross profit for the year as a result of tariffs.
In early May a group of 80 footwear brands, including Crocs, sent a letter to President Donald Trump seeking tariff exemptions for the industry and warning of higher prices and inventory shortages around fall events and holidays should nothing be done.
In its most recent earnings report from earlier this month, the company reported Q1 revenue was essentially flat as the Crocs brand rose 2.4% to $762 million, while Heydude fell nearly 10% to $176 million. Crocs pulled its guidance for the year citing uncertainty from the global trade war.
