In response to Nicola Brookes Post about TOMS shoe manufacturer giving away a free pair of shoes to someone in need of them every time you buy a pair, and questioning the motives of companies that do so called good deeds.
Her point was that we can’t be too quick to become enticed by companies who do good deeds, as it could just be another marketing scheme to pull at the heart strings of consumers to gain more revenue from sympathetic buyers. This is a good point, as millions of dollars are spent every week trying to figure out how to draw consumers in, and sympathy and compassion been shown to be an extremely good bet when it comes to consumer mindset.
However we must ask the question: Does it really matter WHY the companies are doing good deeds, so long as they are doing them in the first place? Well, honestly no. But it does make the cause seem cheaper when there are ulterior motives in place. Good deeds done by companies do benefit people, such as TOMS giving away free shoes. But for the company itself a good deed is only really a good deed if you know why you are doing it, and it is for the right reasons. So while its true that either way the people benefit, when there is an agenda in play it does make the sweet act a little more bitter.
Link to her original post here.
