The heart and sole of a purchase

TOMS is the shoe brand adored (and adorned) by many, and for years it has helped consumers feel good about buying a product that directly gives back to others.

TOMS is amplifying its efforts this year to build a stronger connection between its mission, the consumers, and those who are receiving a pair of shoes as a result of a purchase, and the brand is focusing its one-for-one efforts specifically on refugees.

The initiative includes special edition shoes with messages of peace in different languages on the sole that gives the feeling of unity, knowing the consumer and a recipient of TOMS shoes are both spreading a positive message in the world, even if they are worlds apart. AR is being used at stores to allow consumers to virtually see and experience what the refugee camps are like where TOMS is giving back, and makes something that may otherwise seem remote, or abstract even, feel more tangible. And, for social, consumers will get a picture that shows the consumer's left foot wearing their shoes, paired with a picture of a recipient's right foot with their shoe. I mean, the feels are real. 

The initiative strengthens what the brand already stands for in a powerful way, while truly allowing consumers to connect with a cause greater than themselves and see the impact they are making from the simple act of buying a shoe.