Cathy Lee‘s blog post, “Toms: One for One”, describes why the well-known social enterprise, Toms Shoes, became incredibly successful and internationally renowned during the past few years.  Cathy mentioned that customers are largely attracted to the company’s mission in addition to the trendy designs.

While Toms has had great success with the One For One shoes and glasses product lines, many critics point out that this is good marketing but bad aid.  There are numerous cheaper alternatives to solving the social issues that Toms addresses, and Toms’ free goods are out-competing some of the local businesses that would have benefited the community with both quality goods and jobs.  However, I think that Toms’ marketing campaign has raised global awareness of certain social issues, which is a result that is more beneficial in the long run than material aid.

Toms’ marketing strategy is revolutionary in that it did not focus on marketing the qualities of the product; it marketed the impact of purchasing the product.  Normally, when a customer buys a product, the utility that the customer gains is only from the qualities of the product itself.  However, when a customer buys a pair of Toms glasses, he or she also gains satisfaction from the thought that they helped others in need by the act of purchasing the glasses.  This point of difference helped Toms stand out from other brands, and became the basis for the success that Toms enjoys now.

Works Cited:

“TOMS Shoes: Good Marketing – Bad Aid” Good Intentions Are Not Enough. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. <http://goodintents.org/in-kind-donations/toms-shoes>.