One for One – TOMS Shoes
You’ve got to love TOMS Shoes‘ business model: “with every pair of shoes you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need – One for One“. Since starting in 2006, TOMS Shoes has given away more than 300,000 pairs of shoes to needy children in the United States, Argentina, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Uruguay. TOMS Shoes provides an exciting business model that we can learn from.
First, this is just a fantastic thing to do that makes a contribution to people in need.
Second, if you are an employee at TOMS Shoes you certainly have a higher purpose to work towards. You’re working hard to make a difference, and not just to maximise profit as is the case in most commercial businesses.
Third, they have such a powerful story and point of difference that is at the core of their business. The story is unexpected and people will be naturally interested. There is no need to come up with some superficial marketing and advertising gimmick to get people’s reluctant attention. The business naturally gets people’s attention – willingly!
Fourth, as Seth Godin mentions in his post of TOMS Shoes, people who wear the shoes make a statement. Of all the shoes they own, their TOMS Shoes will be the ones that they talk about. They will pass on the TOMS Shoes story by word of mouth, and those who identify with the story will buy their own pair and make their own contribution to the TOMS Shoes movement.
TOMS Shoes was foundered by Blake Mycoskie after a holiday in Argentina, where he saw children without shoes in local villages. The TOMS Shoes shoe design is based on shoes worn by local Argentinian farmers. The brand TOMS is derived from the word ‘tomorrow’.
See the TOMS Shoes story in the YouTube video below.
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I wouldn’t even be here if my wife didn’t mention TOMS this morning and I had no idea they existed. Anyways an interesting read – nicely written.