Question

14 - 9 14 - 10 Chapter 14 : Application and Cases : Tom Shoes and Blake Mycoskie launched TOMS with a commitment to donate one pair of shoes for every pair sold . In May 2015 , TOMS took to the social media with a campaign to extend its philanthropic mission . For each Instagram post showing bare feet and using the hashtag #withoutshoes , TOMS donated a pair of shoes to a child in need . The campaign demonstrated the company’s commitment to its cause while expertly piggybacking on a common Instagram trend . The #withoutshoes campaign resulted in the donation of 296,243 pairs of shoes and won a Silver Anvil Award of Excellence from the Public Relations Society of America . TOMS’s many one - for - one programs for shoes and now necessities such as eyewear , water , and even kindness “ ( anti - bullying training ) help build strong customer relationships and brand community

14.9 Explain how TOMS used public relations for the #withoutshoes campaign as part of the company’s promotion mix . It what ways did this tool helped promote TOMS ?

Answer 1

In this case we can observe that TOMS effectively utilized the tool of public relations while at the same time advertising their brand and publicizing their brand values. The #withoutshoes campaign ran on the social media platform Instagram where it brought on tremendous brand exposure for TOMS, while proving that the brand is actively focused on playing a positive role in society. This campaign naturally converted into advertising with many people becoming aware of the brand and converting into potential customers.

This tool helped TOMS in the following ways:

1. Brand publicity- Many people who did not know about TOMS became aware of the brand and it's product mix.

2. Attracting a wider audience- By taking the campaign on social media, TOMS attracted a wider following including younger audiences who are the target customers for TOMS.

3- Building brand values- By engaging in charitable work, TOMS has further established it's reputation as a company that believes in the concept of giving back. Also their campaign received an award from the Public Relations Society of America which signifies that they are effective in promoting their brand while keeping synergies with the concept of corporate social responsibility.

Hence we can see from the above case that TOMS is effectively utilizing public relations as an important promotion tool.