Crocs owners are known to wear their shoes one of two ways—seamlessly changing from “sport mode” to “relaxed mode” by moving the strap on the clogs to the front or back. The brand is now expanding this idea to the world of gaming, as it aims to grow its international fan base virtually through a partnership with Minecraft, offering an augmented reality (AR) experience. The game features the dual gameplay modes “sport” and “chill” to reflect both the Minecraft and Crocs brands, respectively.
The “Choose Your Mode” campaign announcing the release of the Minecraft x Crocs special-edition shoes launched in February. But with the addition of AR, it now aims to bridge Crocs’ physical products with a digital environment, meaning the game can be launched by scanning a special, branded pair of Crocs using a smartphone. The experience can be accessed through AR on May 16, with the chill mode taking the user into a relaxed gaming world based on Minecraft’s creative mode, while the sport mode takes players into a survival mode-based environment where they must avoid the surrounding lava.
The campaign was developed by Gravity Road, with both Minecraft features and AR tech incorporated into the design of the footwear for the first time.
Users can gain access by visiting ChooseYourMode.net and scanning their pair of Minecraft x Crocs—special-edition shoes that feature two Minecraft-style Jibbitz charms on the sides.
These are available in sizes for both adults and children and can be purchased through the Crocs ecommerce site.
The AR game itself was developed and built by creative studio Powster, while the WebAR experience is from 8th Wall, using Tensorflow image classification, which makes the Minecraft Creeper image unlock the two modes.
Katie Penza, marketing director for Minecraft, said in a statement: “Our collaboration with Crocs was inspired by creativity, self-expression and adventure, and our aim was to bring together the Minecraft and Crocs communities in new and inclusive ways that bridge the gap between digital and real-world experiences.”
Mark Boyd, co-founder of Gravity Road, said that the AR experience represents “an innovative step forward” in merging the physical and digital realms to delight fans of both brands.
The experience is being promoted through Crocs’ TikTok account, which has 981,000 followers, with a 30-second promotional video that has received 490,800 likes since the partnership began at the end of February. Influencers were also sent pairs to review and promote through their channels.
This isn’t the first time Crocs has turned to AR technology; the brand released a Snapchat lens in 2018 that saw about 4 million downloads in its first 10 days of activation.
