TOMS
Get to know the company!
Within the lesson Introduction to Advertising and Public Relations, we, as students of Panteion University, were called to be brand ambassadors. The company we chose to be ambassador is TOMS. Toms is a for-profit company which was founded in 2006 and is based in Playa Del Rey, California. The headquarters are located in Santa Monica. The founder is Blake Mycoskie an entrepreneur from Arlington, Texas.
The logo of Toms is inspired by the Argentinian flag. This is due to the fact that Mycoskie was in Argentina when he had the idea of creating this company. He saw children that did not have shoes to wear and this made him think that everyone should have a pair of shoes. So he came up with the idea of Toms which has as a motto “One for One”. «TOMS» means «Shoes for Tomorrow or Tomorrow’s Shoes» based on the idea that, if a costumer buys a pair of shoes today, someone in need receives a pair of shoes tomorrow. The TOMS brand is built on its “One for One” mission. For every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair to a child in need. https://youtu.be/Z95pUfYSvbQ
Toms company design and market shoes, as well as eyewear and bags. However the company has opened Coffee Shops. Behind every action and marketing activity there is a meaningful message.
The most popular product that Toms has are their shoes. TOMS classic shoes are inspired by traditional Argentine alpargata shoe which sits atop a rustic rope sole. Shoes have been given to children in 70 countries worldwide, including the United States, Argentina, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Swaziland, Guatemala, Haiti and South Africa. Toms are sold at more than 500 stores nationwide and internationally, including Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Whole Foods Market, which include shoes made from recycled materials. TOMS has given over 60 million pairs of shoes to children in need.
In 2011 Toms launched their eyewear collection. With eyewear purchases, part of the profit is used to save or restore eyesight for those in developing countries(has helped restore sight to over 400,000 people in need).
TOMS Roasting Co. was first opened in 2014 and with each purchase of TOMS Roasting Co. coffee provide 140 liters of safe water, equal to a one week supply, to a person in need (over 335,000 weeks of safe water in 6 countries)
The most recent product that Toms has launched are the Bag collection in 2015. This action help provide training for skilled birth attendants and distribute birth kits containing items that help women practice safe childbirth. TOMS has supported safe birth services for over 25,000 mothers.
Toms through the years has launched many meaningful campaigns worldwide. The most well-known is The event ‘’One Day Without Shoes’’ began in 2009 and by 2010 more than 250.000 people around the world walked through the streets without their shoes on, while more than 1.700 events took place in big cities worldwide. Another powerful action is the hashtag #WithoutShoes. TOMS’ marketing efforts strongly concentrate on social network Channels such as Facebook, Instagram and SnapChat. During “A Day Without Shoes”, fans take selfies of their bare feet and add the #WithoutShoes hashtag, which shared TOMS’ message 3.5 million times in one day in 2016.
Toms is a company that has evolve and has helped our world in a very important way. In 2006 Toms was founded in California without huge expectations. Three years later, in 2009, One Day Without Shoes becomes an annual event & Toms received the ACE Award. In 2011 Toms designed and marketed another product, the eyewear collection. When in 2014 Mycoskie sold 50% of the company, it was valued at approximately $625 million. Lastly in 2015 Toms unveils their bag collection.
Toms in Greece
Toms is a worldwide company that in 2010 traveled to Greece. In 2011 ‘’One Day Without Shoes’’ in Athens. A campaign represented by greek celebrities. TOMS Company prepared a video to thank the people who responded positively to this attempt with participants such as Maria Naupilotou, Fani Chalkia, Vicky Kaya, and many others. In 2013Greek designers created handmade toms shoes by drawing at them. Part of the profits went to the organisation “Mazi gia to paidi”. In 2015 TOMS Company donates 25.000 pairs of shoes to children in Greece in collaboration with the organization “Mazi gia to paidi’’. The first Flagship Store of TOMS in Greece opened in Thessalonike in 2015 and in Athens in 2017.
To learn more click here: https://www.toms.com/
Georgia Simitzi
Team: Georgia Simitzi Renata Stav Σοφία Τσαβδαρίδου Κωνσταντίνα Μουντάκη Stavriana
Professor: Betty Tsakarestou
