Toms Plansbook

Donny DeBernardi

Meredith Hansen

Cheryl Sickinger

Cole Singleton

Table of Contents About Us Emerged from a love of citrus, The Clementine Group is a collection of students who are mostly the same but vastly different. Like the citrus family, we all share some characteristics in common with each other in one form or another. We are all the same on the outside but once you get to the interior, we bring various interests and passions to the family, just like a Clementine. They are seedless and that is the internal characteristic that defines them, like the members of The Clementine Group. Those unique internal characteristics help form an exceptional group of students, The Clementine Group.

Executive Summary

Our client, TOMS, is looking to gain a strong foothold in the Midwest, and they intend to target St. Louis as its launching pad. The St. Louis market and surrounding Metropolitan area, known as the Metro East, comprise the second largest urban area in Illinois behind Chicago. Given a modest budget, we at The Clementine Group plan to actively move forward with the TOMS brand to define a healthy and thriving market within which the brand can prosper. With extensive primary and secondary research we will accurately define and target challenges that TOMS faces in the St. Louis area. With that information, we will propose new objectives for the TOMS brand that will accurately define and reflect the market trends, which will in turn resonate with the target audience.

2 10 18 30 34

Background

Research

Creative Execution

Media Plan

Appendix

Meet TOMS

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Company History TOMS was created in January of 2006 and is currently headquartered in Santa Monica, California near to where the founder, Blake Mycoskie, resided when he established the TOMS brand. At the time of the brand’s creation, Mycoskie had already implemented five other companies that had bloomed into success stories, although none of them had anything to do with fashion, let alone with shoes. The TOMS idea came to him after a visit to Argentina, where he noticed the simplistic versatility of the common Argentinean shoe, the espadrille. Mycoskie also took note of the large number of children without shoes, who, in turn, suffered illness and disease from traveling the rough terrain barefoot. Mycoskie designed a charity organization that would be completely self-sustainable through the sale of shoes. Originally, the plan was to sell TOMS shoes on a small scale, having each pair specially made to order out of Mycoskie’s loft apartment in Venice, California. However, as the word spread about TOMS shoes being a quality product backed by an important cause, the brand began selling more than Mycoskie’s loft could sustain. By October of 2006, TOMS moved into a warehouse located in Santa Monica where it is still headquartered today. Specialty stores such as American Rag and Urban Outfitters

soon caught word of the TOMS cause and immediately wished to become part of the movement. Today, TOMS shoes can be found in countless specialty boutiques around the world, along with large-scale stores such as American Rag, Urban Outfitters, and Nordstrom. In the final months of 2008, TOMS began making significant moves within its market

TOMS shoes founder and CEO Blake Mycoskie. in order to sustain a solid brand. They did this by braking into the international market and selling TOMS products in France, Australia, and Italy. Around this time, TOMS also released a unique “Wrap Boot,” which appeals to its female audience. Finally, in 2008, the very first TOMS retail store opened its doors in Venice, California, where the company initially began. Currently, this is still theo nly TOMS retail store the company opperates Although TOMS can now be found in a variety of purchasing outlets, most of the company’s products are still sold through Internet purchases due to TOMS’s distinct focus on viral marketing.

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Company Mission The brand’s name, “TOMS,” is a cleverly rearranged derivative for the slogan “Shoes for Tomorrow,” which is meant to give hope that tomorrow brings a better day for everyone. The company prides itself on its shoe’s simplistic and comfortable design, which imitates the Argentinean espadrille, along with its mission of charity work. Undoubtedly, the most significant component of this brand is its slogan of “One for One,” which is a dedicated promise to donate one pair of TOMS shoes to a child in need for every one pair of TOMS shoes purchased. Every two weeks throughout the year, the CEO, Blake Mycoskie, and a group of volunteers go on “shoe drops.” The team travels to a predestined location where a high number of children in need of footwear await for the volunteers to literally hand deliver

thousands of TOMS shoes. Locations such as Argentina, Ethiopia, and the United States have been chosen for the shoe drops, and the location will continue to change with each year. In the company’s first year, over 10,000 shoes were delivered through TOMS shoe drops, while the goal for 2008 was to deliver 200,000. The company’s gift of shoes has three overall purposes; to create a sense of pride in each child; to open up new possibilities through durable and necessary footwear; and finally, to help lessen diseases caused by walking outdoors without shoes. Mycoskie states, “There are areas of the world (southern Ethiopia is an example) where there are horrible, horrible foot diseases that are completely preventable with shoes.”

“There is no TOM. We like to say that everyone is TOM, because what TOMS stands for, it’s a derivative of the word ‘tomorrow’ and the idea that we have a better tomorrow. You buy a pair today, we give a pair away tomorrow. And collectively, everyone who buys a pair, everyone who works here, everyone who’s an intern, we all are TOMS. So that’s who TOM is.” Blake Mycoskie on the South African shoe drop.

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Marketing Mix The 4Ps currently used by TOMS Product

Promotion

• Overall simplistic design, representative of the versatile espadrille • Comfortable footwear with a canvas exterior and leather, padded insole • Caters to consumer’s individualism by providing an array of various colors, patterns, and designs • Creates pride in customer’s mind through the company’s charitable cause of donating one pair of TOMS shoes for every one pair sold

• Advertising for TOMS has been entirely left to what the company calls “word of mouth,” and until very recently, absolutely no advertisements for the company existed online or in the media • TOMS gained a great deal of its current popularity through positive publicity from various media outlets, including magazines, newscasts, press releases, and various third party websites and blogs. TOMS is often featured within the media due to its mission of goodwill, which makes for a quality and uplifting story for public audiences.

Price

Place

• Starting price for TOMS is at $44 • Fleece TOMS priced at $68 • Also offers strictly vegan designed shoes at a higher cost • A boot option is also available priced at $77

• Headquartered in Venice, California • Beginning sales from phone orders, evolved into being sold worldwide in retail stores and through Internet sales • Found most often in small, independent boutiques in urban areas around the US

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Brand Analysis Visual Branding

Visual Elements

In a recent interview with CEO Blake Mycoskie, he explained that TOMS has undergone a series of brand names to express its charity mission. The first title that the brand used was “Shoes for a Better Tomorrow”; however, Mycoskie felt that this was too lengthy and slightly altered it to “Shoes for Tomorrow.” Although pleased with the new brand name, it did not fit well as a label on the actual shoe. Therefore, the name TOMS was finally chosen and placed within the Argentinian flag as the brand’s logo. The problem is that TOMS has adopted its previous brand name as a slogan, and even further inconsistencies arise as consumers read the slogan “One for One,” which is also widely scattered throughout the website. This sort of variation continues to be used with the TOMS tagline. The tags “For every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to

Independent stores that stock TOMS have a generally consistent theme, which is youthful, forward-thinking, and “hipster.” Many of these stores are small, independent fashion boutiques that cater to young adults. Of the two St. Louis boutiques that our team visited, both had a sophisticated feel with subtle touches of vibrant colors throughout the store that created a fresh ambiance, but not so loud to make the consumer feel juvenile. Employees at the shops are dressed in the trendiest of today’s fashions and hold themselves in a prestigious, yet friendly, manner. Because these stores exuded style along with an open-minded sophistication, the product placement of TOMS could not be more on target. Because TOMS is primarily an online company, its visual elements are exclusive to its website and the branding found on

a child in need” and “Your purchase today guarantees a child shoes for tomorrow” are exhibited throughout the website and other public relations pieces. These inconsistencies could be a direct result of TOMS being such a new brand that is still working to establish itself through the experimentation of different marketing tactics. However, the company’s inconsistencies are only making it more difficult to create a strong, lasting brand image.

actual TOMS products. First, and most notably, is the light blue Argentina flag with the brand name TOMS placed on the middle white strip. This visual element is stitched on the back of every pair of shoes. The TOMS website is also built around the light blue and white Argentinean colors, which makes for a cohesive and uniform brand image. However, as consumers navigate through the website, an entirely different visual appearance emerges. The second image TOMS uses is filled with neutral and earthy tones, which is often used when TOMS describes its charity efforts.

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Competition TOMS shoes is a fairly new brand. Because of this, there are many products that fill the competitor role. However, TOMS chief competitors include Converse (Chuck Taylor All Star), Birkenstock, Rocket Dog, Vans, and UGGs. Competitors like Chuck Taylors and Rocket Dog are laced, casual shoes that come in a wide variety of colors and designs, similar to TOMS. Brands such as Birkenstock and Vans offer a slip-on design that can be worn actively outdoors like that of TOMS. While the UGG brand competes with the boot design that TOMS offers. Although each is similar in at least one way with TOMS, each competitor also differs dramatically within several aspects of price and design.

Brand Positioning

Advertising

Compared to our main competition, TOMS does not have as extensive of a perception in our consumers’ minds. Competition like the Converse Chuck Taylors have been around since the late 1920’s, while Birkenstock started producing its well renowned shoe in the 60’s. These companies have had a standard for quality shoes that they have achieved for decades. TOMS has not yet developed into a strong brand nationwide like our top competitors have, but are continually gaining attention. People who do know about

According to TOMS’s target market, Uggs, Rocket Dog and Chuck Taylor are considered top of mind among the competition. Although TOMS is a nationwide brand, it is currently most recognized within the United State’s southwest region where the brand was born, making TOMS overall brand awareness not as strong as it could be. Another obstacle for TOMS will be positioning itself against its competitors, who most of which have been operating for many years.

Brand Perception

TOMS currently does not use advertising, which makes it difficult to fully establish the young brand. Because of this, TOMS’s competition has the opportunity to pull ahead significantly. This lends a very negative effect on the progression of awareness for TOMS shoes. In addition, TOMS’s main competition is regularly found via ads in magazines, television, and billboards, as well as within viral markets where the TOMS brand currently lives. Today, TOMS has a “word of mouth” marketing style and relies on this to take the brand to new heights. Although somewhat effective, it can only take the brand so far, and it will take much longer to evolve the brand into a nationally recognized competitor like its current counterparts.

TOMS have really adopted the, “One for One” campaign idea. Secondary research tells us people love the shoe because TOMS is more than just a shoe, it represents a lifestyle for its purchasers. Most consumers say they like the shoe design and style, but are most attracted to the emotional ties that come with each TOMS shoe purchase.

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Competition Cont. Pricing

Prices for TOMS in relation to these competitors vary. The leading design for TOMS, the espadrille, costs between $40 to $80, depending on the material the shoe is made from, which ranges from burlap to suede. Therefore, TOMS competition cannot be based solely on price. Competitors such as Rocket Dog, Converse Chuck Taylors, and Vans sell cheaper footwear, ranging from thirty to ninety dollars. The higher end of pricing competition, which we deem competitors because of style and philosophy are the Birkenstock and Uggs brands. Both lines start at around $100 per pair with Birkenstocks leveling at around $200, while Uggs can reach as much as $300.

Birkenstock

Rocket Dog

UGGS

Converse

TOMS

Vans

Other Competition Other competitors that TOMS faces within its market include brands that are also active in social causes, especially those brands involved with giving to the poverty-stricken. Although countless brands exist that at some point have been involved with charity work, there are few companies known to donate 100% of their product such as TOMS. Most competition within this realm will donate a percentage of the profit they make to a charitable organization, whereas TOMS donates the exact product that is sold. However, TOMS operates its own charity that is not yet very well known, whereas competitors join forces with huge charity organizations that makes further brand exposure easier to accomplish.

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Competitive Matrix TOMS Philosophy

Design

T.A.

Shoes for a better tomorrow, One for one

Converse Shoes inspired by vintage looks and Rock n’ Roll roots

Basic design, basic Canvas Sneakers, materials that vary rubber soles, toe from cloth, burlap, guard leather flat sole design

Birkenstock Rocket Dog

UGGS

Vans

Quality products, comfortable, unique, timeless, and respectful to the world

Pop culture meets sub-culture with a twist

Promise of luxury and comfort in everyday life

Vans shoes appeal to the masses, and thus, their name has become legendary

Carries weight more efficiently, Gives good posture and less fatigue while walking

Starts with cork bottom sandals, moves to rubber, and jumps to all canvas slip on look

Australian inspired boot made with sheepskin and wool for the inner lining

Slip-on sneaker

14-30, trendy, media savvy, involved in music scene or arts, involved in social causes

14-25, athletic types

All ages, trendy upper class

Trendsetters and style consious consumers around the world of any age

Targeted at everyone, including men

Works with surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, urban, and punk markets

$40 - $80

$60 - $100+

$100 - $200+

$20 - $100+

$100 - $300

$50 - $80+

Started in 2006, inspired by an Argentinean shoe style and lack of footwear for kids

Started in 1923 in recognition of basketball star

First hit market in 1968

Started in 1997 in California. Made famous by sandals

Began in 1966 in California. Changed sole design in 1976

Various styles, plain to multicolored, various makes and types of fabrics

Varies in height and color, classic looks

Cork, leather, one or two buckles

Cork bottoms, sandal type slip-ons for surfer types

Early 1930's, worn by farmers trying to keep feet warm and by surfers coming off the ocean Casual and comfortable cold weather footwear

Price

History

Style

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Bold and colorful with a flat sole

Research

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Observational Research In store research within the targeted market, St. Louis, has given our group even greater insight into where the TOMS brand stands as an international product, and also where some improvements could be made to further the company’s branding efforts. Since there are no pop-up TOMS retail stores in the St. Louis area, the observational research that our team gathered was chiefly in specialty boutiques that were listed on the TOMS website as stores carrying their product. The two stores that were visited are very similar in atmosphere and targeted audience, along with the apparel they each carried. Both locations are considered high-end boutiques with a unique and “hipster” feel that cater to young, forward-thinking men and women, ages 18-29. Although both stores sell to similar target audiences, there is an interesting difference in each market’s opinion of the TOMS brand.

In the first boutique, “Ziezo,” which is located only around 15 minutes away from the other TOMS retailer, sales associates explain that their customers are very aware of the TOMS brand and its mission of “One for One.” However, at the other boutique, “Splash,” associates express that customers know very little to nothing about the TOMS brand, although the women’s style shoe often sells out. Splash employees go on to describe the type of customer that purchases the TOMS brand as being independent and socially conscious. Considering the close proximity of the two stores, the differences in the consumer’s knowledge of TOMS is a challenge that our team must work to understand in order to get the “One for One” message across as effectively as possible.

Splash

Ziezo

Women’s

Women’s

Men’s

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Men’s

Focus Group In order to get further insight into the positioning of the TOMS shoe brand in the consumer’s mind, our team lead a focus group consisting of ten college students. There were six male students and four female students taking part in our focus group. Our team asked a variety of questions about TOMS, including current perceptions of the brand and any overall opinions about the espadrille style that represented TOMS’s primary shoe design. Firstly, all focus group members, besides one female, said that they did not have any knowledge of TOMS. In effect, when asked what brands of casual footwear they purchase, TOMS did not have any top of mind recognition. The findings also proved to be very different from the male to female perspective. Females, who stated that UGG boots and flip-flops were casual footwear staples, found TOMS shoes to be much more appealing than the male focus group members. The males, on the other hand, found the

overall style of TOMS as being “girly” and went on to describe themselves as more “athletic-casual” dressers, a style that they believe the TOMS design missed entirely. Males also considered themselves as much more brand loyal than the females, staying constant to brands such as Nike and Air Jordan. As a group, all members found that the TOMS mission of “One for One” was appealing and would have an effect on their purchasing decisions; however, the purchaser had to also be thoroughly pleased with the product in order to make the final purchase. The fact that TOMS are customizable also had a positive effect on the group members. In addition, because the entire group claimed their willingness to spend at least $80 on a pair of athletic shoes, no one found the price of TOMS as being unreasonable.

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Survey After completing the focus group research, our team gathered a series of questions that we thought would complement our findings and help further our research efforts. Within the survey were questions about the TOMS brand and also questions concerning the psychographics and demographics of our targeted audience. To begin, the survey found that within one year, 50% of respondents only bought between one and two pairs of casual shoes. In fact, a majority of the respondents did not buy more than two pairs of shoes of any style in a one year time frame.

Awareness of TOMS Shoe company 15%

No Yes

85%

Number of Casual shoes bought in one year 7 or more 5-6 3-4 1-2 None

0%

10 %

20 %

30 %

40 %

50 %

60 %

Disturbingly, the survey results showed that fewer than 2% of the target audience has even purchased at least one pair of TOMS shoes. What is even more staggering is that a mere 15% of the total people surveyed had any actual knowledge of the TOMS brand. This research proves that

TOMS’s marketing efforts are incredibly ineffective; they are not creating enough exposure, nor are they making sales. As mentioned, the survey results may be slightly biased since most respondents are currently living in the United State’s Midwest region. However, the results still signify an important fact, which is that the TOMS brand needs to extend its image through more valuable and far reaching means. Contradictory to the focus group, the survey respondents did not feel that the company’s social causes (“One for One”) had any effect on their purchasing behavior. This could be due to the respondents’ lack of knowledge about the TOMS mission, whereas focus group members were told about the TOMS shoe-drops. Another contradiction between the results of the focus group and the survey was the influence that customizability had on purchase decisions. Although more than 23% of respondents agreed that it is an important

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Survey Cont. feature, 28% responded neutrally, and 33.6% disagreed that customizability had an influence on their purchases. On the other hand, focus group members (especially males) claimed that being able to customize their footwear was an attractive and influential option when making purchasing decisions. A final noteworthy finding was that more respondents found the quality of footwear as being more important than the footwear’s style.

Target Audience Media Use The media uses of our target audience is that they use the Internet the most, with over 36% of respondents spending between 11-15 hours online in one week. Consequently, the target audience spends five hours or less each week interacting with more traditional media such as radio, magazines, and newspapers. However, television continues to be a popular traditional medium with more than 41% of surveyors watching television between 6-10 hours each week.

Entertainment Events Attended 1.6% 32%

36%

Art Shows

Theater/Movies Religious Activities

Online Media Use in a Week

Street Festivals Concerts Sporting Event

1.6% 3.1%

Psychographic questions concluded that respondents most frequently attend either sporting events or the movies for entertainment, which accounted for nearly 30% of the respondents collectively. Activities that survey respondents are most heavily involved in include volunteer work, student organizations, and traveling, each accounting for roughly 20% of responses.

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Percentage

25%

40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5

16 or more hours 11-15 hours 6-10 hours 5 or Less hours

Target Audience Primary T.A.

Secondary T.A.

TCG has defined our primary target audience as being college students, aged 19 to 24 males and females all located within the St. Louis city limits and surrounding metropolitan area. These individuals are creative trend setters that are socially aware or are becoming more socially active. They are also technologically savvy and are up to date with online and other electronic trends. They live an artistic lifestyle full of self expression. Our primary target audience is not afraid to express their individuality through their own unique outlets, whether it be sports, drawing, music, dance, or charity work, they strive to be themselves and not be influenced by modern trends. They are sports enthusiasts, music lovers, concert goers, and movie fanatics. They are the cultural influencers that will push the TOMS message and drive our secondary target audience to the brand.

TCG has defined our secondary target audience as being high school students, aged 14 to 18, all located within the St. Louis city limits and surrounding metropolitan area. Our secondary target audience is much like our primary audience; drivers of the brand and the TOMS message. They are an important aspect of our campaign because they will be the influencers that carry the message of TOMS for years to come. Once the TOMS brand becomes top of mind they will influence others in their age group. These influencers are the younger brothers and sisters of our primary target audience that will pick up the new trends and pass them along to others.

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SWOT Analysis

w

S o

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

• The message/cause

• Young company

• Quality material

• Availability

• Versatility

• Brand awareness

• Customizability

• Limited style

• Price

• Very defined target audience

• No advertising or media exposure

• Global brand

• Innovative options (Vegan, wrap boot)

T

Opportunities:

Threats:

• Large potential market

• Older and more established competition

• More people becoming active in social causes

with greater media exposure • Oversaturation of shoe market

• Rise in green marketing

• Traditional advertising tactics

• Nontraditional stance in media

• Overall lack of advertising

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Objectives Sales

Media

The overall sales objective that our team hopes to accomplish for TOMS is to increase their overall sales by at least 15%. By accomplishing this sales goal, TOMS will not only gain needed profits, but it will also prove to the company that our marketing efforts have gained the TOMS brand further exposure within the marketplace.

Because TOMS currently spends zero marketing dollars on advertising, TCG does not want to push the brand into something that is completely foreign to their company. Therefore, The Clementine Group proposes to spend 57% of the marketing budget on traditional advertising, such as magazine, outdoor, and newspaper advertisement. Our team strongly believes that TOMS must present itself within traditional advertising arena in order to establish one, strong, and cohesive image. Once TOMS has distinguished itself through traditional media means, it can advance its efforts within the non-traditional scope, which is where all their current media exposure is found. Therefore, we intend to spend the remaining marketing budget on non-traditional advertising, promotional events, and continued Internet exposure. Our marketing objectives are to reach 60% of our target audience an average of 3 times and 40% of target audience an average of 5 times during the campaign.

Advertising Although our sales objective is to increase purchasing of TOMS products by at least 15%, our team aims to raise TOMS brand awareness by a least 30% amongst the consumer market. We hope to reach this increase firstly through our primary target audience, which we have determined is young adults, ages 19-25. This audience consists primarily of ambitious and educated college students, both males and females. This group is considered to be both tech and media savvy, which will help determine the media our team will utilize to get the TOMS product mission across to its audiences. The Clementine Group has also decided on a secondary target audience, which consists of male and female high school students, aged 14-18. This group consists of the most forward-thinking and mature individuals amongst their peers, being also very media savvy and involved in social and community activities.

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Creative Execution

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The

BIG Idea

Sole to Soul

Clementine Advertising feels that the TOM Shoe brand is individual to each customer. The TOM Shoes brand is more than a shoe its more than its mission it’s a lifestyle. People who buy TOM Shoes don’t buy them for their shoe; they buy into the lifestyle, they live TOM. When people buy TOM Shoes it is a window to who they are and what they stand for. Their shoe or “sole” is a window to their soul or who they are. A persons soul is anything that that makes them unique it can be their creativity, generous, fun side anything that shows how they really are. Sole to Soul is a creative concept that will build our brand as a unique brand that promotes a culture a lifestyle.

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Street Team “Sole Stampede” In order to really get the TOMS message across to the people of St. Louis, The Clementine Group (TCG) felt that we must first get a solid set of TOMS advocates together to help us spread the Sole to Soul message, known as the “Sole Stampede.” Each team of the Sole Stampede will consist of five individuals, and TOMS will have a different number of teams representing TOMS at different times of the year, with the most teams during the summer time. Recruiting team members will be done through the TOMS website, and all members will be offered a bi-weekly stipend of $100. Each team must contain at least one Marketing or Advertising student, one Graphic Design student, and one Art and Design student. Each team will be entrusted with a vehicle to make their travels around St. Louis more accommodating, which will include the TOMS logo to further promote the brand around the area. The Sole Stampede will always be wearing TOMS apparel, including t-shirts, shoes, and hats, and will be full of positive energy when promoting TOMS to the city of St. Louis. Along with aiding TOMS in various events the company will be sponsoring, it will also be largely up to the Soul Stampede to distribute promotional materials to St. Louis citizens, both conventionally and creatively. Promotional materials will include lanyards, magnets, stickers all adorning both the TOMS flag logo and website, along with flyers and pamphlets explaining the TOMS mission and rundown. Pictured right: TOMS interns, lanyards, sticker, and the TOMS vans. The sticker and lanyards were developed by TCG; however, the van was designed by TOMS. For the the actual campaign, TCG will design our own version of the TOMS van.

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Events “Soles for Souls” The main event that TCG has put together for TOMS’ introduction into the St. Louis market is the “Soles for Souls” event. This will take place near the end of August, after TOMS has highly exposed itself to the city through constant, in-your-face advertising tactics. Throughout the heavy campaign season, which begins with the shoe drops from the sky in March, there will be many advertisements mentioning the Soles for Souls event. These advertisements will explain what the TOMS mission is, and that the company plans to hold a similar shoe drop in the St. Louis area. Further explanation through the TOMS website will give details about TOMS keeping a tabulation of how many TOMS Shoes are sold within the St. Louis market, and that however many are sold, that same amount will be donated at the local Soles for Souls shoe drop which will benefit local children in need. TCG strongly believes that the people purchasing TOMS are people concerned with their fellow man. The TOMS consumer is generous, thoughtful, and genuinely interested in social issues, especially issues impacting the people around him. This event will place TOMS in a most positive light amongst consumers. TOMS will not be seen as just another product in the marketplace, but a company that is working to help others and is doing this by becoming actively involved in social issues. Along with being a genuinely charitable thing for TOMS to do, the Soles for Souls event will gain free publicity through its sheer generosity for the community. TOMS will send press kits to local news stations and newspaper companies, and the positive press will follow. Not only will this reinforce TOMS as a caring and generous company, but it will also spark the need for others to get involved. Full page ad promoting the Soles for Souls event that will run in the St. Louis Post Dispatch. See “Traditional Advertizing” for more deatils.

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Soles for Souls Buy a pair of shoes and TOMS will donate a pair to a local child in need. www.TOMSshoes.com Promotion Code: 01514

TOMS is dedicated to serving others. For every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS donates a pair to a child in need. The TOMS team participates in bi-weekly shoe drops giving shoes to children around the world. During the Soles for Souls event, TOMS will be giving shoes to children in the St. Louis area. To donate to this event, simply purchase your pair of TOMS shoes and enter the promotion code 01514, and you can give to a child in need here in the St. Louis area. Shoes will be donated at the Jackie Joyner Kersee Center Boys and Girls Club on September 19, 2009 at 2pm. Feel free to attend and support TOMS and local children.

Events Cont. “Style Your Sole” As the Sole Stampede takes over the city with smaller, promotional materials and events during the summer months, TOMS will also invade the beloved City Museum off of Delmar Avenue. The City Museum hosts an array of mind-blowing displays and venues that feed the creative and artistic mind. TCG feels that TOMS fits perfectly within this vibrant setting, which is why TOMS will extend the “Style Your Sole” proposal to the City Museum. TOMS will rent out available space within the building and give visitors the opportunity to creatively design a pair of TOMS shoes. TOMS will use the rented space to its full potential by creating a unique workshop for patrons to immerse themselves into while their creative minds run wild. TOMS will again supply all art supplies for all artwork and the shoes will be on display at the City Museum until the Soles for Souls shoe drop, when all shoes designed will be donated to the event. Utilizing the City Museum brings TOMS shoes onto an even more personal level with consumers since it is such an important place for St. Louis citizens.

Flyer promoting the Style Your Sole event at the City Museum that will be distributed by the Soul Stampede.

Style Your Sole at the

City Museum

Join us at the St. Louis City Museum and design your own TOMS shoe. Either purchase your creation or leave it on display to later be donated to a needy child in the St. Louis area.

www.TOMSshoes.com

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Events Cont. “Show TOMS Your Sole” A key focus for TOMS immersion into the St. Louis area is to have more online advertising. TOMS’ target audiences (both primary and secondary) were proven to be both media and tech savvy, so we feel that hitting these groups online is one of the most effective things that TOMS can do. To make this online venture even more appealing, TCG proposes that TOMS holds a shoe design competition for their online audience called “Show TOMS Your Sole.” People will have the opportunity to virtually design a TOMS shoe to submit for the opportunity of it being chosen to sell in the retail market. This will speak directly to both groups of TOMS’ target audiences, whom we have found to be creative, artistic, and imaginative. The Show TOMS Your Sole competition will feed the creative needs of our target audience; they will not only be genuinely entertained by the competition, but will also get involved in TOMS as a brand. The competition will last approximately one month, and there will be two winners, whose TOMS shoe designs will be available for purchase the following year.

“Soleless for Souls”

With days reaching as high as 100 degrees in the St. Louis area, why not ask St. Louis citizens to ditch their shoes for a day? In an effort to bring attention to the dire need for shoes, TOMS will host a day for as many people as possible to lose their shoes entirely. This effort not only influence peoples’ thoughts about what it means to live without shoes, but it will also create positive publicity for TOMS. If TOMS is able to convince enough people to not wear shoes for just one day, people will catch on seamlessly and public attention will follow. TOMS will push this event more at St. Louis colleges and universities, since this is our primary target audience and today’s college students seem highly interested in social awareness issues. The possible impressions will obviously depend on the number of people taking part in the event. To help

increase this number, TOMS will send the Sole Stampede out to the streets without shoes in hopes to spread the “Soleless for Souls” mission and influence people to take part in the advocacy. This event will promote TOMS as a fearless activist for righteousness, a company that is willing to go to great lengths to make a positive difference in people’s lives.

“Flying Soles”

Considering our research results, TCG found that TOMS is a rather unknown company within the St. Louis market. So, in order to create some serious buzz, we have decided to take the TOMS Shoe Drops to a rather literal level. TOMS will send out all teams of the Sole Stampede to different areas of the city of St. Louis, including the Delmar Loop, St. Louis University, and the Landing with a total of 500 signature TOMS burlap bags (which comes with every pair of purchased TOMS) holding an array of promotional material. Most significantly, each bag will hold a certificate for a free pair of TOMS shoes that can be redeemed only on the TOMS website. This will create hits on the website, which is a strong objective TCG had in mind for TOMS. The certificate will hold a price value of $44.00, which is the cost of TOMS’ least expensive shoe; however, certificate holders may also opt to put that amount towards the purchase of a more expensive pair of TOMS, which will up overall sales figures. The St. Louis shoe drop will be a literal representation of the shoe drops that the corporate TOMS Vagabonds do throughout the year. In order for people to understand this correlation, each bag dropped will contain a statement about what TOMS is and what it’s in business for, which is giving to others. The areas chosen for the “Flying Soles” event are some of the highest trafficked areas in the city, also home to the largest part of our target audience. Between the 500 lucky people receiving the TOMS bags, fellow onlookers, and any publicity, TCG expects to receive at least 32,000 impressions from the Flying Soles event.

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Sponsorship “Sole Music.” TOMS believes that music is one of man’s greatest ways of selfexpression, which is why TCG has chosen to have TOMS sponsor an up-and-coming local band that is set to perform at St. Louis’ Live on the Levee (LOTL) summer concert series. LOTL is a yearly summertime event held by the city of St. Louis that attracts a wide variety of people. Its success comes from its location, which is in the epicenter of the city, along with the fact that all concerts are free and open to the public. Combine these two benefits and you get a potential of over 75,000 impressions in one evening. The exact band chosen must fit also into our target audience, which is young,

open-minded, and forward thinking; the band must also appeal to our primary target audience. We will offer the band $7,000 and give them TOMS apparel to wear when they perform at LOTL. TOMS will collect press shots of the band wearing TOMS apparel and further promote the sponsorship from this point by posting pictures and videos on websites and sending out press releases. They will also be encouraged to wear the apparel on any public interviews or appearances around the time of their performance, and the TOMS website will be conveniently displayed on the band’s website, facebook, myspace, etc.

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Downtown Guerilla The most action packed area of St. Louis lies between 14th Street and the Riverfront, where the famed St. Louis Arch stands overlooking the Mississippi River. In this small, one mile radius, Missourians find the homes of their beloved sports teams, the Cardinals, the Blues, and the Rams, along with the great State Capital building, Kiener fountain, and of course, the Gateway Arch. All of these attractions in one dense area lead to a high volume of people, which in turn leads to gross impressions. Because of this, TOMS will host a series of guerilla advertising tactics within this area throughout the spring and summer months.

Keiner Plaza Fountain

As one looks down Market Street, he cannot help to notice the famed Kiener plaza lying between Market and Chestnut Street. Adorned with an enormous flowing fountain, this is one of the first downtown spots to be hit by the TOMS campaign. TOMS will first color the water a vibrant blue, making it stand out even more to onlookers. To continue attracting attention, the statue standing in the middle of the Keiner Plaza fountain will be holding a TOMS flag and be wearing TOMS shoes. TOMS will then purchase 100 life vest koozies representing TOMS with its signature baby blue and white colors and the TOMS flag. On each koozie, the phrase “Saving Souls with Every Sole” will be printed to support the idea that TOMS, like a life vest, has the potential to save lives. When patrons lift the life vest koozie out of the water, attached to each koozie will be a key chain with a photo of different shots taken from TOMS Shoe Drops along with the TOMS web address and mission.

Above: Keiner Plaza Fountain with running man holding flag. Below: Live vest koozies, which will float in the fountain.

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Downtown Guerilla Cont. “Style Your Sole” Another captivating idea that TCG came up with was for TOMS to set up shop below the Gateway Arch every weekend during the summer. This event will be known as “Style Your Sole.” Since visitors to the Arch are most often found during the weekend hours, TOMS should expect around 20,000 potential impressions. The booth will host a team of the Soul Stampede who will have various art and design tools on hand for spectators to design their very own pair of TOMS shoes. Designing the shoe would cost around $10, and once completed, each designer would have the option to purchase his shoe for an additional cost or donate it to the St. Louis Soles for Souls event. Doing this would allow people to get creative, which would translate to the TOMS brand. This campaign pushes TOMS as being the shoe for the outspoken consumer who is not afraid to be himself. By giving consumers the opportunity to design their shoe through their own creative means, TOMS is encouraging the idea of self-expression.

Misc. Guerilla As the Sole Stampede takes to the downtown streets of St. Louis, their main focus will be to make the TOMS logo known to citizens. This exposure will be implemented by handing out various promotional materials throughout the bustling square mile of St. Louis’ downtown, along with chalking the city’s unique brick streets and buildings with the TOMS logo. The Sole Stampede will be directed to literally place the lanyards and stickers onto patrons and other creative spots during larger events in order to help the TOMS name stand out among other company’s promotional efforts. TCG also encourages these same promotional efforts to be extended to U City in St. Louis, most specifically the Delmar Loop, which was recently named one the 10 Great Streets in America by the American Planning Association. TCG considers the Delmar Loop as one of the most effective places for spreading the TOMS message, seeing that both our primary and secondary target audiences frequently visit this trendy and hipster hotspot. Along with emitting the ideal TOMS environment, Delmar Loop is known to attract over 3 million visitors each year.

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Non-Traditional TCG’s conducted research found that TOMS’ target audience frequently visited movie theaters; therefore, TOMS will place simple slide advertisements that will run before a movie’s previews in 50 theater screens around the St. Louis region. These slide advertisements will push viewers to visit the TOMS website and also stimulate brand awareness. Research also showed that TOMS target audiences were immensely active in the online world. Because of this, TCG has put into place various online advertising efforts in order to reach both primary and secondary target audiences. Included in this plan are Facebook ads and banner ads on the UMSL webpage that will promote the Show TOMS Your Sole competition and other various events.

Sole to Soul www.TOMSshoes.com

Banner Ad Sole to Soul

Movie Theater Ad For every pair of shoes you purchase, TOMS will donate a pair to a soul in need.

Sole to Soul

Show TOMS Your Sole

www.TOMSshoes.com

Design your own TOMS shoe at www.TOMSshoes. com and compete for one of the top prizes! Every sole purchased directly benefits a soul in need. Join the TOMS team and get your pair today.

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Traditional Advertising While TCG feels that TOMS key audience can be reached rather effectively through our nontraditional tactics, we also feel that traditional means of advertising will elevate TOMS as a company in the marketplace. Traditional advertising will also help TOMS to establish a more cohesive brand image amongst consumers. TOMS traditional advertising will begin with billboards in the St. Louis area that reflect the target audience interested in St. Louis sports. For the duration of each sporting season, there will be a posted TOMS billboard representing each of the St. Louis sports teams including the Rams, the Cardinals, and the Blues. Billboard advertising is known to reach a significant number of people, so this will boost TOMS overall impressions. Other traditional advertising will include newspaper advertisements in the University of Missouri St. Louis newspaper and one ad in the St. Louis Post Dispatch. These advertisements will exude both creative and informative efforts that will effectively spread the TOMS message and increase brand awareness.

Buy One Give One FREE For every pair of shoes you purchase, TOMS will give a pair to a child in need.

Sports Billboards Sport your Sole

www.TOMSSHOES.com

Redeemable online at www.TOMSshoes.com or at any retail carrier.

Newspaper Ad Sport your Sole

www.TOMSSHOES.com

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Sport your Sole

www.TOMSSHOES.com

Traditional Advertising Finally, TCG came across a St. Louis magazine that we believed spoke perfectly to TOMS’ target audience while also supporting TOMS’ overall mission. The magazine is known as What’s Up, and it is strictly sold by the homeless of St. Louis, with all proceeds going to their effort to survive. Not only does this fit seamlessly in with the TOMS message, but the content of What’s Up is entertainment based, with a special dedication to letting St. Louis citizens know what is going on in their community. This is the perfect medium for TOMS to advertise in about the company’s band sponsorship and other various public events that they will be involved with.

READER PROFILE

Sole to Soul Every sole purchased directly benefits a soul in need.

Whats Up Magazine Demographics

ts Up Magazine has an elusive and exclusive audience. We deliver over ten thousand of a ghly sought-after audience who are hard to reach through traditional media.

S O U R C E : W H A T S U P S T R E E T S U R V E Y O C T. 2 0 0 2

www.whatsupstl.com

Whats Up Magazine readers are young thirds (65%) of our readers are under 45, while nearly half (43%) are in the highly sought-after 15-34 age bracket.

Purchase a pair of shoes today, and TOMS will give a pair to a needy child. www.TOMSshoes.com

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Media Plan

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Media Plan Number of Impressions Number of Impressions by Media Number of Impressions by Media

Our media plan will comprise of both non-traditional and traditional with supplemental events throughout. We have a pulsating media plan to sustain the message of TOMS and make it resonate in the mind of our target audience. Our banner ad, street team, What’s Up magazine ad and band sponsorship will run for the duration of the campaign year. The billboards for the St. Louis professional sports teams having the highest impressions will run for the duration of the campaign. Our non-traditional will run periodically in the summer months when our additional tactics be will be very heavy.

Budget Breakdown

The traditional media, representing almost 60% of the budget, will draw the most impressions and coverage in our campaign. These tactics will cost approximately $131,350. The non-traditional media, about 20% of the budget, will also produce a high number or impressions for both our primary and secondary target audience and cost $44,100. Our events, 24% of the budget, will be very hands on and allow our target audience to interact with the TOMS brand. To do these events will cost TCG $56,000. Traditional, nontraditional, and events for the Sole to Soul campaign in the St. Louis market will be $231,450.

Budget Breakdown

Events

24% $56,000

Non-Traditional Media Traditional Media

57% $131,350 19% $44,100

157,000 We have allocated a majority 157,000 657,000 of our budget towards Events traditional media due to the 657,000 Non-Traditional Events high reach and substantial Traditional Non-Traditional number of impressions. Traditional These impressions will 3,137,000 attract and engage both our primary and secondary 3,137,000 audience. The events will reach about 157,000 people during the campaign year and allow them to interact with the TOMS brand on a personal and intimate level. The non-traditional will spread the message of TOMS and place it at the top of mind of our primary and secondary audiences. With a total number of impressions at 3,991,000, we have effective engaged and influenced a significant number of St. Louis and surrounding area college and high school students.

T.A. Reached

Target Audience Reach Throuh Our Media

Target Audience Reach Throuh Our Media

TCG has developed and High School Stu High School Students devised various creative 18%18% College Student College Students tactics to actively reach Both Both both our target audiences effectively. Those tactics will be available and seen by 81% 81% both college and high school students in the St. Louis area. We have only singled out our primary target audience, college students, with specific tactics. We believe high school students can be easily influenced by older, college-aged students. If we effectively market to college students, high school students will follow suit and adopt the brand.

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Flow Chart TOMS Shoe Budget

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

Cost

Impressions

"Style Your Sole" City Museum

$36,000

20,000

"Style Your Sole" Arch Riverfront

$10,000

20,000

Live on the Levy Sponsoship

$7,000

75,000

St. Louis Mini Shoe Drop

$3,000

20,000

Free Advertising

22,000

Soul City Fountain Display

$1,000

15,000

Skyline Shoe Drop

$10,600

32,000

Shoe Placement and Flag Postings

$2,500

500,000

Theatre Advertising

$30,000

150,000

What's Up Magazine

$1,000

60,000

UMSL student newspaper ad

$2,650

45,000

$32,700

2,500,000

St. Louis Post Dispatch

$22,000

417,000

Facebook Ads

$30,000

100,000

UMSL Banner Ads

$2,000

15,000

"Soul Stampede" Street Team

$41,000

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Events

"Soleless for Souls" Awareness Day

Non-Traditional

Traditional

Ourdoor Billboards St. Louis Rams St. Louis Blues St. Louis Cardinals

Total Budget and Impressions

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$231,450

3,991,000

Evaluation Evaluation Upon the TOMS campaign’s year-end, TCG will conduct an overall evaluation of the Sole to Soul campaign. This will begin with checking overall online and retail sales of TOMS shoes. Sales through online will be counted only if the purchaser was located in the St. Louis area, while retail sales will be rated by overall TOMS purchases of stores within the St. Louis region. Along with overall sales, TCG will collect and count the combined number of times TOMS or the TOMS mission was mentioned within the media (ie. News, public releases) in St. Louis. TCG believes the amount of publicity the city gives TOMS is directly relative to the company’s impact on the city. Finally, overall click through rates and website visits will be counted to compare to rates before the campaign, which will reveal the effectiveness of TOMS online efforts.

Contingency

TGC has allotted the remaining $18,550 for additional supplies including promotional material and flyers for the Soul Stampede as well as additional shoes and art supplies for Style Your Sole events.

Sole to Soul 33

Appendix

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