I’m sure everyone has heard of TOMS shoes, but did you know that the name is actually derived from the word “tomorrow” and is not named after the creator of the shoes??

Their entire business structure is based on “buy one” and “give one”, which I have not seen any other business do. For every pair of TOMS that you purchase, they donate a pair. This has so far been extremely successful, with TOMS having reached celebrities like Brad Pitt and Bono.

Watch one of their “shoe drops” in the video below.

TOMS adopts simple, but extremely effective and focused cause-related marketing. It is built into everything that they do and does not seem like a marketing stunt, that many companies are recently doing. I agree completely with all the reasons that are talked about in Ryan’s blog, but I also would like to include another. I feel that TOMS “word of mouth” advertising, has benefited them greatly and their name has caught on like wildfire. They are not advertised on television and print media, like most other shoes, and their stories are passed on from one customer to the next.

I love when business and social cause are combined in a truthful and effective way. TOMS does this. The shoes have been flying off the counters and I think their story is just going to get bigger and bigger!