I came out of a meeting last week to find a curious package on my chair. It was addressed to me, with a return address from TOMS. Hmm. . . I didn’t order any shoes.
When I opened it up I found a perfect fitting size 6 1⁄2 in a classic Navy blue, lined with a cute African animal print! I tried them on and was immediately smitten. Like walking on clouds.
So where did they come from? I recently attended the IRCE in Chicago where I stopped at a booth run by the company that handles the ecommerce platform integration for TOMS. While learning about their company I filled out a tiny card and dropped it into a fishbowl.
I’m so glad I did! The shoes arrived at a most appropriate time; the day before I was due to leave for a vacation on Fire Island. They were the perfect “slip these on after a long day at the beach (or a long night out) ” shoes.
I’m not sure if I was the only fishbowl winner, or if TOMS sent shoes to everyone who dropped in their card, but what a fantastic way to bring people to your brand. I mean really, free shoes! I was not a TOMS customer before but had been eying both the products and the mission for years. Now, a total TOMS convert, I will be wearing (and recommending) this brand of shoes for years to come.
