The man behind Stanley and Crocs viral success has surprising advice for executivesabout social media

Marketing mastermind Terence Reilly is responsible for turning rubber shoes and insulated mugs into cultural obsessions.In 2011, he joined Crocs as Chief Brand Officer and accomplished what seemed impossible: making cheap foam shoes cool.He left in 2020 for Stanley, where he turned an oversized water bottle into a must-have item, then returned to Crocs last year to ramp up the brand’s partnerships and social media presence.And he has unusual advice for executives looking to jolt a sleepy or small brand: Spend 50% of your time and almost all your marketing money on social media.

““I spend a lot of time on Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok, YouTube … social media in general is just an amazing opportunity for any brand of any size,” he told me.“That’s where consumers are.

“A lot of purchase decisions begin on TikTok, and so we want to make sure that we are front and center.”This year, Crocs has focused heavily on TikTok Live shopping, a modern-day QVC where people shop in real time, as well as the platform’s scrollable Shop.So has Hey Dude, another casual shoe brand the company acquired in 2022.

“Both brands, Crocs and Hey Dude, are the number one and number two footwear brands on TikTok Shop,” Reilly said.Direct-to-consumer revenue has been up for Crocs, though overall revenue for both brands was down — 2.5% for Crocs and 21.6% for Hey Dude — year over year in the third quarter of 2025 as trends changed.But Reilly is confident he can revitalize with limited-edition drops and by partnering with celebrities including Jelly Roll and Sydney Sweeney, who came on as a Hey Dude global spokesperson in August.(The actress’ controversial ads for American Eagle actually helped brand sales soar.)He’s been here before.On his first day at the Colorado-based company, Reilly put up a poster in his office emblazoned with snarky criticism of Crocs: “Those holes are where your dignity leaks out.”It was a reminder he would need to accomplish something t...