This past weekend a friend told me shoe brand TOMS was asking people to grab a camera, take a picture of their bare feet and post it to Instagram using the hashtag #withoutshoes. With every picture taken, a pair of shoes will be given to a child in need. The campaign started May 5 and runs through May 21.
What a great way to not only help children all over the world, but also raise awareness about your brand and using social media to do it. Doing something like this not only makes good use of your social media channel, but it also creates brand love and loyalty.
I went to look at the images with the hashtag (even though I am not a fan of feet by any means!) and saw how creative people got with their pictures! There was everything from small children’s bare feet to adults’ bare feet on a sunny day.
Doing something like this also creates new customers or brand lovers. Because people are sharing socially and explaining to their friends and family members about the campaign, it creates product discovery and loyalty.
This isn’t the first time TOMS has made headlines for its altruistic efforts. During the 2014 holiday season, TOMS joined forces with Target to give back to those in need with a product line in Target stores and online.