This post from the Church of the Customer blog takes a look at how TOMS Shoes has created a great product bursting with WOM-potential. According to the post, the shoes themselves, which were created by former “The Amazing Race” contestant Blake Mycoskie, were inspired by a simple, low-cost shoe he came across in Argentina. Blake linked the shoes to a cause — for every pair sold, a pair is given to shoeless children in third-world countries — and is a natural evangelist for the product, willing to tell the simple, easily spread story about how TOMS came to be to anyone who will listen. According to the post, it’s a perfect recipe for WOM.
The full story at Church of the Customer:
http://www.churchofthecustomer.com/blog/2008/07/customer-evange.html
Judy Hopelain 2:22 pm on July 31, 2008 Permalink
The mantle has passed from Yvon Chouinard, Anita Roddick and Ben and Jerry to Blake Mycoskie at TOM’s Shoes. It’s great to be at the beginning of this next gen - Gen Y - version of doing well by doing good!
Judy Hopelain 11:40 pm on July 31, 2008 Permalink
The mantle has passed from Yvon Chouinard, Anita Roddick and Ben and Jerry to Blake Mycoskie at TOM’s Shoes. It’s great to be at the beginning of this next gen - Gen Y - version of doing well by doing good.
Today, we expect big companies like Chevron, Nike, Gap, Starbucks and Pepsico to be good citizens of the world. But being a good citizen is generally a response to external pressures - it’s not part of these companies’ DNA.
TOM’s have made it a central part of its value proposition to creatively and tangibly take on big social, economic or environmental issues while also providing products that U.S. consumers want to buy. They have figured out that taking action on a human scale and letting the customer in on the act is cool, and creates a reason to be brand loyal.
And it gives customers (and us) something to talk about!