Trendy footwear company Crocs is taking its first step into original entertainment — but don’t look for a new hour-long drama or half hour sitcom streaming on Netflix or Hulu.
The company will launch “Charmed to Meet You,” a scripted micro-drama that will debut February 12. In the program, inspired by a true love story involving a Crocs employee Lexi, a single woman in her early 20s, notices a mysterious neighbor’s pair of men’s Crocs Classic Clogs outside an apartment door completely bare of its trendy Jibbitz charms. She leaves one of her own behind, creating a flirty dialogue told across short-form episodes.
The tale will be told across five episodes, each likely one to two minutes long, says Alanna Strauss, head of content and marketing for CAA’s Media and Entertainment Partnerships team, which helped Crocs devise this content initiative. Viewers can find it on ReelShort, a streaming platform that offers exclusive vertical-video projects, including series and movies.
“Everyone’s kind of gearing up for it,” says Strauss of micro dramas, which are capturing more notice from talent and marketers. “And I think what Crocs is proving is that you can really, truly make it story-led versus just looking at these mediums as ad buys where you run your own content.”
Procter & Gamble earlier this week launched a 55-episode “microsoap” called “The Golden Pair Affair,” which aims to entertain younger viewers with a romantic adventure but also promotes products from its Native line of personal goods. JC Penney last year launched a five-episode story aimed at Spanish-speaking consumers that was created in part by TelevisaUnivision.
“Micro dramas are a powerful new storytelling space, and we’re proud to be the first footwear brand to create an original content series with ReelShort,” said Carly Gomez, Crocs’ chief marketing officer, in a statement. “This marks a new era for our brand as we’ve entered our next chapter — redefining how we show up and engage consumers in meaningful, emotional moments. It’s our first foray into a platform like this, and a bold evolution in how Crocs tells its story.”
Reel Short will promote the new series via its social-media channels