#withoutshoes
Alonzo Knight
Why? Describe the business issue & consumer problem trying to solve
n TOMS’ didn’t necessarily have a problem but it’s goal was to remind people of its charitable nature and to get people talking about the brand. TOM’s has a foundation and a reputation of giving shoes to children in need, consumers just needed another reminder as to why they buy TOMS.
Who? Describe the desired audience(s)- start with current customer, prospect, superfan. Be detailed!
The current costumer of TOMS is aware of its charitable nature so every so often (when their current TOMS shoes wear out) they think about getting a new pair. The prospective customer is just learning about TOMS so they research to make sure TOMS delivers on its promises of free shoes then decides that buying a pair of TOMS would make them a generous person. A superfan knows all about TOMS and only buys TOMS because he or she knows a poor child overseas will also get a pair of shoes. Super fans are just waiting for the next color scheme to be released.
What? Describe what the brand did and why they used that type of media or approach. Include information about the benefits of that type of media as noted in The Media Handbook (Katz), Chapter 4, Exploring Paid Media. Also, note what kind of value it adds ( *tag with one of these value categories: convenience, utility, unique or social value, incentives, service, entertainment, etc)
TOMS created the hashtag “#withoutshoes” to encourage participants to go a day without wearing shoes. Then using the hashtag, they can post a picture on Instagram. TOMS would then of course donate one pair of shoes for every picture posted with the hashtag. The goal was to raise awareness for children’s health and education, this gives participants the #uniquesocialvalue of helping those who are less fortunate. The event only lasted a day, which gave it a novelty aspect which can be seen by people saying “:/ too slow” in the comment section. Using mobile marketing helped TOMS have a “direct response mechanism” because it allowed immediate access to customer questions like “can we still do this” and it’s an easier way to track how many people are attracted by the ad.
Where? Describe where it was done– through what kind of POEM (* tag with category)
This campaign took place on TOMS’ Instagram which makes it earned media and paid media. The responses completely depend on the consumers considering they can’t control how many people take part in the event. Also sense it’s in Instagram’s format they don’t have complete control of the content.
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