TOMS: One for One

There are many brands out there which I believe have established a good online presence, but there is one company that really stands out to me, TOMS. A brief background about the company: it is not just a company that sells shoes and eye wears; it has a noble goal behind its presence that becomes its core business philosophy, that is giving to the people in need. The company was founded on a simple premise: with every product a customer purchases, TOMS will help a person in need. Its slogan, One for One, is simple yet reflective to what literally this company is doing. It gives people in need, mainly children, a pair of new shoes when an individual with a purchasing power makes a purchase on a pair of shoes. Since then, the business has expanded to not just selling shoes as it sells eye wears as well. However, this new addition to its product line does not stop  company in making a huge contribution to the society, instead it has developed a new project that focuses on giving people in need around the world with the chance to have an eye care service with every eye wear purchases. Not only that I think TOMS has done a remarkable contribution to the society, I also think that it has done a great job in terms of its online branding. I personally think that the company's efforts in establishing a brand that stands out among others in the online environment.

One contributing factor to TOMS successful online branding strategy is its slogan, One for One. It is simple, attractive, and carries a deep meaning. This popular slogan is present in its website, blog, and other social media presence, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. These online platforms are branded with its 'One for One' slogan. Other contributing factors to TOMS online branding success include:

• Its blog. It is filled with relevant contents that are specially tailored to its target audiences' needs. It is maintained and updated regularly. TOMS' customers are very likely to seek the truth behind its 'One for One' campaign. They want to know whether their contribution of making a purchase on a new pair of shoes or eye wears are really helping the people in need. There is a demand for transparency from the customers' perspectives. Using its own blog that is integrated to its website, TOMS is continuously updating its customers with a journal on its mission trips. Furthermore, the blog also contains stories that influences and inspires. (http://www.toms.com/blog/)

• Its Facebook page. TOMS' Facebook page is all about engaging fans. Information are updated on a regular basis and they are all relevant. There are inspiring stories, inspiring pictures and video clips, and fans' generated contents like pictures of themselves wearing a TOMS shoes. There are plenty of picture albums on the company's campaigns, movement events, and many other. There are also tabs to TOMS' events schedule and YouTube videos. The company is also utilizing Facebook to maintain a good relationship with customers by promptly responding to their inquiries, comments, etc. (http://www.facebook.com/toms)

• Its website. TOMS' website is one of the most engaging, inspiring, and interactive website I have ever visited to. I was planning to purchase a sunglasses from the website, but I was not sure which model would fit me best. It turned out that the website offers a virtual try-on feature which I believe is very interactive. This allows me to take a picture of myself with the sunglasses of my choice in the picture. Furthermore, the website features a customer's review section in every product's page, allowing customers to post a review on the product that they have just purchased which provides good information for other potential buyers before they make a purchase of the product. To make it more interesting for customers, the website contains a special webpage where customers can post a 30-second video of product review. There are also information on TOMS' social movements and campaigns such as the 'One Day Without Shoes' movement that had just happened a few weeks ago and 'Tickets to Give' campaign which is a sweepstakes that provides an opportunity to allow fans and customers to join TOMS' mission trips to a designated developing country. The website features its blog which contains plenty of meaningful contents like inspiring stories and interesting event/trip journal. The website also has a social media sharing feature that allows customers to share what they see on TOMS' website with others on social media platforms. (http://www.toms.com/)