Digital Social Media Report: TOMS Shoes

            INTRODUCTION

In this day and age people are constantly connected to each other regardless of geographic location.  Thanks to technology and social media people are made more aware of the experiences of others around the globe. It has allowed the successes and hardships of others to be noticed on a large platform. One of these hardships that was noticed was the lack of a simple thing, such as footwear. That’s where TOMS Shoes comes in. TOMS was founded by Blake Mycoskie, a Texas entrepreneur, who came up with the idea for the company after visiting Argentina. Each time someone purchases a pair of TOMS Shoes a second pair is given to someone in need. It’s their buy one, give one or otherwise known as "One for One" philosophy. It’s not merely the charity that drives people to shop with TOMS – the shoes are actually comfy and stylish. The main product TOMS focuses on is canvas shoes. Yet it also provides other footwear as well as a newly launched eyewear line which follows the same model.
 

Knowledge of TOMS' business model has spread throughout the industry thanks to word of mouth and media buzz. It turns out, people really like to talk about things that make them feel good, such as purchasing shoes which in turn protect someone else’s feet too. TOMS quickly captured this buzz online via their social media accounts. TOMS is an avid user of social media with accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+ and more. By harnessing their consumer feedback and engaging those with questions the company built up quite a following. The TOMS Facebook and Twitter accounts currently boasts over 2 million likes/followers.

FANS LIKE COLLABORATION

People share moving real-world stories online and TOMS knows this, as Mycoskie shared in an interview for Success magazine. Writing blog posts and posting share worthy stories and videos online gives followers content to then spread to their friends. It's apparent that it's working, for example if you check TOMS YouTube account it has over 51,000 subscribers but certain videos have over 3 million views. People want to see the giving process and what the company is doing.

Many times TOMS reaches out to artists or bands to help design new shoes. This not only helps with creativity and adding new styles to the shoe collections but also draws in new potential buyers. By collaborating with these people it gives TOMS access to promoting their brand to different fanbases who might not have heard of the company. Shout outs on social media sites such as Twitter from an artist with many followers can then drive traffic to TOMS with just a simple 140 characters or less.

The innovation and collaboration doesn’t end there. Since the idea of TOMS is fueled by helping others, TOMS reached out to artists in Haiti to help design a collection of shoes. This doubly helped because it employed those in need to help others. An article on Popsop mentions how the collaboration is helping Haitians to recover from the tragic 2010 earthquake which turned much of the country to rubble. Initiatives like TOMS helped Haitians regain stability and at the same time gave the company a voice in media as they shared with the public their plan to help.

ONE DAY WITHOUT SHOES

An event created by TOMS is One Day Without Shoes. It's when they ask any owners of TOMS products or those who support their cause to go barefoot and experience what is like for those without. Widespread events such as this not only create awareness to the issue but also for the brand. Essentially, every person who isn't wearing shoes is a walking billboard for TOMS since it can spark conversations about why a person is shoeless. In order to keep up with who participates in the event TOMS has created a hashtag (#onedaywithoutshoes) which works across multiple social media platforms to keep track of mentions. Users can easily be involved online with the event by posting about their experience barefoot and uploading photos to accounts, says an article on SocialToaster which also details more ways TOMS interacts with social media.

CRITICISM OF BUSINESS MODEL

It has not succeeded without criticism though. Some marketers say that a flaw lies within the very core of TOMS’ marketing, One for One. Without a need (people without shoes/glasses) the brand would lose its charity appeal to buyers. Adriana Herrera wrote about this dilemma in a blog for The New York Times. It seems though that TOMS has heard this critique and moved forward to make better efforts with its eyewear giving. Not only do funds from glasses purchases give a vision to someone in need but as Herrera stated, "The company’s eyewear contributes to the employment of nurses and doctors that in turn provide sight-giving support and surgeries so that people can become employable, create a sustainable living and get themselves out of poverty."

Other remarks against TOMS have been focused towards their main product offering – the shoes. Forbes reports that in Cheryl Davenport’s words, TOMS needs to offer “a stronger, more differentiated and less replicable product offering.” Currently there are several brands that sell knock-off versions of TOMS’ canvas shoes. Is this an issue? It’s been said that imitation is the highest form of flattery. Overall though, TOMS is not the first shoe seller to be copied (ex: Chuck Taylors). There's nothing wrong with a little healthy competition. Noticeably though, the copy-cats do not abide by the same One for One policy which is part of the core of any TOMS product.

TOMS' USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media can be a great tool when used properly. Otherwise, it can lead to a mess or cause your business to look technologically inept if accounts are left visibly inactive. Thankfully, TOMS thrives on social media and keeps all of its accounts up-to-date and content rich. See how the company engages consumers online in the following video.

 

Using a Facebook page is one of the many ways to involve consumers and carryout social media interaction like TOMS. It’s fairly simple to set up a page too. By following the brief tutorial created below you should be able to follow along the steps to setting up your own Facebook page.

CONCLUSION

My personal prediction for TOMS' future is that it will continue to flourish and become further involved with poverty prevention around the globe and at home. It seems that the company has already taken note of the criticism mentioned in The New York Times post and has taken steps to let the public know the root of the issues. As for the products the company offers, I just hope they don’t spread the company too thin by attempting the business model with too many types of products. TOMS has a great online media presence and I'm sure it'll continue to grow - especially next week during #onedaywithoutshoes!