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
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.
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.
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!
