Brands Briefing: Why Crocs, David’s Bridal and StockX are embracing episodic content

A cousin of short-form video, episodic content is typically mobile-first and lives on certain platforms like ReelShort, DramaBox, TikTok, Instagram or YouTube. Microdramas, a specific segment, typically last two to three minutes, end on cliffhangers, and are proving popular with Gen Z. Industry analyst Omdia estimated that global microdrama revenues reached $11 billion in 2025 and will hit $14 billion by the end of this year. By 2030, the number will be well over $20 billion. Still, as Digiday has reported, the format faces questions regarding measurable return on investment.

Ross Benes, senior analyst of TV, streaming and sports at eMarketer, told Modern Retail that episodic content can help brands increase their awareness and engage with consumers “in ways that 30-second spots do not.” One challenge, though, can be high cost, as well as “pressure to produce a hit,” he said.

Still, Benes added, “Brands are becoming more interested in producing shows, because a show that resonates with viewers has a much longer shelf life than an ad campaign. Audiences are fine with these shows, as long as the promotion isn’t too salesy and is adjacent to what they wanted to watch.”

Below, learn how three retail players — Crocs, David’s Bridal and StockX — are thinking about the episodic content opportunity.

Crocs: “Charmed to Meet You”

Crocs launched its first microdrama, a rom-com called “Charmed to Meet You,” in February. The series has five episodes, which span 60-90 seconds each, and follows two neighbors who connect over Crocs. “You can think about it … like a soap opera, but a mini version of it,” Carly Gomez, Crocs’ chief marketing officer, said onstage at Shoptalk Fall in Nashville on Oct. 1.

The series, in partnership with CAA, is inspired by an actual Crocs employee, who told the office how she added different Jibbitz to her neighbor’s clogs as a way to get to know him. “She found out that he liked fried chicken, but he did not like hot sauce,” Gomez said. “I was like, ‘Well, we should make a story about [this].'”

“Charmed to Meet You” racked up millions of views and aired on ReelShort. It was so successful that Crocs made a different series, with a different premise, called “Déjà Shoe,” in June. Released on TikTok in partnership with SuperOrdinary, “Déjà Shoe” followed an aspiring stylist stuck reliving her first day at work. A third microdrama will come out this December, Gomez teased.

“Entertainment is such a part of the future of marketing, simply because it’s such an amazing way to story tell,” Gomez explained. “A microdrama is an extension of how we tell stories as a brand.”

Gomez said consumers don’t mind seeing branded microdramas alongside other content, as long as they’re relevant. On TikTok, for instance, Crocs has livestreams, organic social content and microdramas, and they all live within the same ecosystem.

“Instead of being disruptive in the feed, you [can] think about microdramas and entertainment as being a part of the feed,” Gomez said. “That really is how consumers are shopping. Everything is integrated now.”

David’s Bridal: “Breaking Bridal”

David’s Bridal got the idea for its episodic content series “Breaking Bridal” after acquiring Love Stories TV, a media platform with a library of thousands of real wedding videos. David’s Bridal then monitored which content performed the best. Two trends emerged, CEO Kelly Cook told Modern Retail in an interview. One: “The more radical deviation from tradition, the higher the viewership,” she said. Two: “Star Wars” weddings were all the rage on May 4, or “Star Wars Day.”

“We began to realize, ‘Wait a minute, breaking from tradition is cool,'” she said. “That was the genesis of ‘Breaking Bridal.'”

The series, which aired its first episode in March on YouTube and David’s Bridal’s website, shows off unique weddings. In one episode, a bride and groom get married on top of an active volcano. In another episode, a couple shuts down Universal Studios in Orlando for a theme‑park wedding. David’s Bridal even married two people in Times Square and filmed the episode for “Breaking Bridal.”

“We love that energy [and] self-expression,” Cook said. “When I got married, everybody got married the same way.”

There’s also a practical reason for investing in episodic content, Cook shared. “Middle-funnel marketing is taking a bath,” she said. “You’ve got privacy. You’ve got cookies. You’ve got a proliferation of search engines.” When Cook came to David’s seven years ago, she said, most Americans were searching for products via Google. Now, that mix includes Amazon, TikTok, ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok and “whatever your flavor of AI is.” “For modern marketers, we’re trying to optimize that spin,” Cook said.

Around 90% of brides come to David’s Bridal, in some form, while planning their wedding. As the company sees it, today’s couples care about personalization; 91% said that they want their wedding to feel more uniquely “them” than traditionally correct. And storytelling is something they care about, organically. “We already knew she’s consuming content,” Cook said. “Why don’t we just create something that attracts them, and then we can bypass Google altogether?”

StockX: “Listed”

StockX is newer to episodic content, having rolled out its show “Listed” at the end of September. The series is tied to the platform’s Listings marketplace, which carries pre-owned, pre-worn and vintage products, and launched in June. Each episode of “Listed” goes inside the closet of a major collector or cultural figure and then makes some pieces available for purchase.

The first episode features PJ Tucker, an NBA veteran known for his sneaker collection. Among the 26 pieces hand-picked from his collection are Nike Kobe 1 “Stash” sneakers signed by Kobe Bryant, Eminem x Nike Air Force 1 “Shady Records” sneakers, and Nike Air Force 1 Bespoke “DJ Clark Kent 112” sneakers. Various items are available to shop on StockX and have a set price, versus a bidding model.

“[Tucker] let us peek behind the curtain,” StockX CEO Greg Schwartz told Modern Retail. “These are some of the most iconic products that are truly one-of-ones, or just a few of them exist in the world, that he is putting up for our community to buy. The storytelling, him talking about these products and what they mean to him, is really exciting.”

StockX partnered with Spectra, a social entertainment studio, to concept and produce “Listed.” It will roll out future episodes with future collectors and celebrities on its YouTube channel. The series’ debut also coincides with a new profile page feature on Listings.

Schwartz explained that the episodes will give customers a better idea of what StockX has to offer. “We feel like our connection to the community, in terms of how we show up as a brand, is so important,” he said. “What better way to provide a very cool and entertaining content series than taking some of the most notable people in sports and music and fashion, and going into their closets?”

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