Sarah Whittle helped Crocs’ ‘meme shoe’ go viral—what’s next for her at Duolingo

In her cover letter applying for a job heading up Crocs’ social media three years ago, Sarah Whittle wrote that she wore Crocs during her 2018 wedding. The shoe fit—Crocs hired Whittle, a self-professed “internet expert” with a background in comedy, and she helped the brand reach new levels of virality. See all of Ad Age’s 40 Under 40 honorees here “They were looking for a leader to take Crocs to social 2.0,” said Whittle, 35. Her work on a recent five-second Toe Jibbitz video generated 108 million organic views and more than 1.5 million shares. Other campaigns, including last fall’s Croctober Cowboy Boots and this summer’s “Twilight” parody, have led to a 47% increase in Crocs’ clog-obsessed community in the past 12 months. For its most recent quarter, 22-year-old footwear marketer Crocs Inc. posted record results, driven by the Crocs brand’s 9.7% increase in revenue, to $914 million. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Crocs Shoes (@crocs) “I think of the shoe as a meme shoe that gets attention, and reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously,” said Whittle, who is half-Korean and has lived in Wyoming, North Dakota and Germany. She said her diverse background has made her keen to take on new creative challenges, such as her new job as staff social media manager at Duolingo, which she joined last month. “My favorite part of working in social is bridging business initiative data with creative, wackadoodle ideas,” said Whittle. “How can I bridge those two things to make sense and build a brand?” If you could have dinner with one person, alive or dead, who would it be and why? Definitely my Korean grandmother. I miss her laugh, love and cooking. But non-family? Hugh Jackman. I think we’d have a giggly time talking about anything and everything. What are the top two social media sites you use on a regular basis? Instagram and YouTube. In previous years, I was very active on TikTok but the algorithm has been frustrating/much different this year, especially. What’s currently on your bedside reading list? “The Five Year Lie” (still chasing the high of reading “Gone Girl” before the movie came out) and always near me is a copy of “Radical Candor.” What was the last show you binge-watched? “Presumed Innocent.” At what age do you hope to retire? Right now—I’ll end on a high note. See all of Ad Age’s 40 Under 40 honorees here

Sarah Whittle helped Crocs’ ‘meme shoe’ go viral—what’s next for her at Duolingo

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