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Toms Shoes enlists mobile to promote millionth pair donated

Footwear brand Toms Shoes is promoting the sale and donation of its one millionth pair of shoes using mobile location-based technology.

When mobile users check-in to certain venues between Aug. 16 and 29 using the location-based application Gowalla, they can enter to win a variety of prizes. Toms partnered with AT&T to coordinate the prize offerings, which include a paid trip to Argentina to attend the donation of Toms? millionth pair of shoes.

?This campaign allows Toms to do something new and exciting that engages the members of our community and not only connects them to the brand, but to each other in real time,? said Blake Mycoskie, founder of Toms Shoes, Santa Monica, CA. ?And, we love the fact that both creativity and technology can live side-by-side through a program that really speaks to the essence of what Toms is all about.?

Mr. Mycoskie founded Toms Shoes in 2006 with the goal of matching each pair of shoes purchased with a footwear donation to a child in need.

Toms has also partnered with AT&T for its Shoe Styler promotion, which directs consumers to design shoes at http://www.att.net.toms for the chance to win the Argentina trip.

?AT&T is aiming to engage passionate mobile users who are early adopters of the latest technology, like Gowalla," said Amy Engallina, associate director of corporate sponsorships at AT&T, Dallas.

?These users are at the forefront of technology, and with this program we?re able to reward them with some great prizes while they?re taking part in celebrating this great initiative,? she said

The Gowalla campaign
Starting Aug. 16, when Gowalla users check in to certain locations, such as those categorized as technology or apparel listings, a screen will generate within the application informing them that they have been entered into the contest.

By clicking on a button labeled ?Next,? users can instantly find out if they have won a prize, such as:

? The trip to Argentina to view the millionth shoe donation

? An AT&T Netbook laptop computer

? An AT&T smartphone

? A pair of Toms shoes

Users also receive an email with more details about the contest.

The companies are coordinating a cross-platform promotional campaign spanning traditional and mobile Web channels.

AT&T is promoting the initiative through its Web site, at http://www.att.net/toms, as well as through its Facebook and Twitter accounts.

?By launching these new consumer-facing programs, AT&T is able to help celebrate Toms? impressive achievement of placing its one millionth pair of shoes, while engaging cause-oriented individuals who want to be a part of their movement,? Ms. Engallina said. ?It goes hand-in-hand with AT&T?s ongoing commitment to supporting local communities and charitable endeavors across the globe.?

LBS content and giveaways
Location-based services are enhancing the ways brands interact with consumers in numerous ways, whether they be through the activation of location-based sweepstakes or by delivering more relevant content to consumers.

For example, Dominos Pizza is driving repeat business using a location-based mobile rewards program (see story).

Meanwhile, Gowalla teamed with USA Today to deliver branded travel information to those who checked-in at airports using their mobile devices (see story).

?There are a number of ways that location-based technology is affecting campaigns today, including the ability to provide people with content ? whether it be a special offer, news and information, or a call-to-action of some sort,? said Andy Ellwood, director of business development for Gowalla, Austin, TX. ?Location-based services connect people to places in a way that wasn?t possible before.?

Final Take
Peter Finocchiaro, editorial assistant at Mobile Marketer, New York