TOMS’ formula for connecting with young consumers

TOMS, a socially-conscious shoe manufacturer, faced the challenge of forging a connection with younger buyers while retaining its core millennial audience.

TOMS, a shoe company that pioneered the one-for-one model – in which a business donates one item to someone in need for every one it sells – rode its socially-conscious approach to success after launching in 2006.

Although the brand never paid for endorsements, its shoes rapidly became popular among celebrities and millennials, who formed "TOMS clubs" on college campuses around the United States.

But Mondy Herndon, VP/Ecommerce, Digital Marketing and CRM for TOMS, told the National Retail Federation's (NRF) Shop.org Conference in Los Angeles that today's young consumers view the brand through a different lens.

"The world has changed....

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