Heydude has already made a move to share glory with Bridges’ character within the cult movie “The Big Lebowski,” who declared himself to be The Dude, “or his Dudeness, or Duder, or … El Duderino in case you’re not into the entire brevity thing.” The brand has a Big Lebowski x Heydude collab and launched an affiliated sweepstakes earlier this 12 months.
Its Sweeney-led campaign is similarly centered on the “definition of Dude.” But it’s more broadly “focused on comfort, confidence and the empowering complexities of what it means to embrace all sides of self,” per its release.
And its recent spokesperson is well positioned to succeed in a wider, and maybe younger, audience. Sweeney has won accolades for her roles in streaming hits including “Euphoria” and “The White Lotus,” which have achieved a cult status of their very own, in addition to movies “Anyone But You” and “Reality.” She will soon appear in Ron Howard’s upcoming thriller “Eden” and Apple TV+’s “Echo Valley.”
In an announcement, Terence Reilly, who just a few months ago arrived from Stanley to guide the Heydude brand, called Sweeney “a generational talent and magnificence icon.”
“Sydney embodies the essence of Dude by at all times being comfortable in her own shoes,” said Reilly, who also once served as chief marketing officer at Crocs. “That makes her an undeniable fit for not only our shoes but our brand.”
In her own statement, Sweeney also emphasized the “comfort” message.
“The brand never sacrifices style for comfort, which is why Heydude’s iconic styles are my favorite shoe option whether I’m traveling or commuting to set,” she said. “I’m thrilled to represent the brand in 2024 and beyond.”
There’s much work to do before the 12 months ends. Crocs has scrambled to seek out the correct mixture of DTC and wholesale to spice up Heydude’s sales and margins, and executives earlier this month defended the brand’s contributions to each the highest and bottom lines, despite its disappointments.
The company has maintained its expectations for revenues to be down 8% to 10% this 12 months. However, considering that it also expects revenue to fall as much as 16% within the third quarter, that may take “dramatic re-acceleration,” in line with Wedbush analysts led by Tom Nikic.
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