Honestly, I had never heard of them until my wife bought me a pair. They're not pretty, but they are comfortable. I've seen a lot of younger kids wearing them. I've never seen a commercial for them, so I have no clue how they marketed them. Whatever they did it's genius. Crocs seem to have stood the test of time. People went from making fun of them to now booming. They're still ugly as hell, but they sell like crazy. Kids are rocking them, too. I don't get it.
Personally, I would rather just wear my Toms. They're breathable, not too ugly, and they go with almost everything. I love my UT Toms, but I can't wear them everyday. Most of the time I just wear some other Toms to the office, and wear my UT ones when watching games. Last year I wore my UT Hey Dudes to Tuscaloosa. Weirdly, people were curious where I got them and asked if they made other schools. I just said I had no idea, but I'm sure they do. Granted these were people my age (mid 30s) and older.