Buyer Behavior Application, Essay Example

Founder Blake Mycoskie started Tom’s shoe company for a purely altruistic reason. Having visited Argentina in 2006, he observed hundreds of children who did not have shoes. He created the company with one mission in mind. The company would give one pair of shoes to a needy child for every one pair sold. (Shambora 72). Mycoskie prefers the title “Chief Shoe Giver” to CEO.

Tom’s entered the marketplace with no definitive advertising strategy and does not spend money on marketing (Newman 19). Tom’s gained notoriety through earned media coverage when AT&T discovered the philanthropic company and launched a television campaign featuring Mycoskie.

Since that time, the company relies on Myspace and publicity tours sponsored by other companies like Ford and Airstream (Newman 19).In his interview with Brandweek, Mycoskie stated “Because of the new media and the Internet, our youth culture is more aware of what’s going on in the world” (Newman 19).

Tom’s lack of direct marketing is counterintuitive yet effective. The culture and values of the company scream louder than any noise generated by hard-sell commercials or neon signs. The attractiveness of Tom’s genuine altruism reaches consumers on cultural, social, personal and psychological levels combined.

Today’s consumers are becoming increasingly sensitive to the environmental and social implications of their product choices. The story of Tom’s shoes and its “Chief Shoe Giver” founder is what sells shoes. The shoes themselves are nothing remarkable. They are cheap canvas products similar to the Converse line. They sell however for premium prices in high-end outlets like Nordstrom, Macy’s and Whole Foods.

Consumers who sport the footwear make a statement by doing so. The fact that a given purchase shoes the feet of a needy child makes the story itself a value-add for the product. Buying from Tom’s is more an act of humanitarianism than of consumption. Who wouldn’t want that?

Works Cited

(Newman E  TOM’S Shoes 2007)Newman, E. “TOM’S Shoes.” Brandweek 48.30 (2007): 19. EBSCO Publishing. Web. 22 June 2010. <http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=6&sid=258908f9-d62e-48a9-845b-2841e7ad7ee4%40sessionmgr11&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=26289965>.

(Shambora J  Blake Mycoskie, Founder of TOMS Shoes 22 Mar. 2010)Shambora, J. “Blake Mycoskie, Founder of TOMS Shoes.” Fortune 22 Mar. 2010: 72. EBSCO Publishing. Web. 22 June 2010. <http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ehost/results?vid=2&hid=6&sid=258908f9-d62e-48a9-845b-2841e7ad7ee4%40sessionmgr11&bquery (%22tom’s+shoes%22)&bdata=JmRiPTI3aCZkYj1hOWgmZGI9YXdoJmRiPWFobCZkYj1xYmgmZGI9YnRoJmRiPXJ6aCZkYj11ZmgmZGI9ZW9oJmRiP>.