Introduction
Public relations and ethical decisions should go together according to the definition of these notions. Public relations can be defined as strategies directed at maintaining positive image of companies and other people and organizations which vision in public eyes is important.
Ethics is a more complicated notion which cannot be easily defined as it is addressed to morality and deals with good and evil, right and wrong, etc. Having considered the main idea of public relations concerning the creation of positive image, ethical decisions are to be core ideas for many actions and campaigns.
Still, most companies do not consider public relations ethics in a proper way, having provided the mission statement without specific ethical issues. Such words as “fairness”, “social responsibility”, “respect”, and “honor” are not considered as necessary in the companies’ mission statements that makes their public relations lack ethical decisions (Ki & Kim, 2010).
TOMS Shoes is the organization which public relations are ethical and it is easy to prove it. Basing the discussion on the fact that public relations and ethics include “the client good that is served by professionals public relations, and the principle ordering the theoretical ground of public relations – the public pledge to that client good” (Baker, 2002, p. 204), we are going to check the main idea of the public relations TOMS Shoes leads and the campaigns they provide to make clients’ life better.
We are also going to consider the details of One for One strategy and One Day without Shoes campaign as the company’s ethical decisions in their public relations. We are sure to learn good lessons from the case study under discussion and draw conclusions about the public relations ethics and its need in the modern society.
The ethical public relations questions which are going to be addressed in this paper are as follows, whether the company has managed to meet the ethical relations principles by means of One for One strategy and One Day without Shoes campaign and how these activities have influenced company image and brand popularity.
Case Details
The focus of the discussion is going to be TOMS Shoes and its issues. First of all, it should be mentioned that from the first day of its creation in 2006, this organization has established its ethical mission, to donate to those who need help.
Another issue we are going to discuss is the annual event One Day without Shoes as a part of ethical public relations which was provided for the first time in 2008. To understand the case details better, more information about TOMS Shoes should be considered.
Mycoskie said that “I don’t want it to be about us reaching a milestone. This is our way of saying thank you to the million people who have purchased Toms” (Toms Shoes to donate one-millionth pair, 2010, p. 9). As it has already been mentioned, TOMS Shoes was founded in 2006 in Venice, California.
This company was created by Blake Mycoskie who was inspired by the traveling to Argentine. From the very beginning of the company existence, TOMS Shoes was specifically directed at the idea of donation. The shoes models of the brand are modified in such a way that they can be easily wore by those who have to walk many miles. The goal of TOMS Shoes was “to show how together, we can create a better tomorrow by taking compassionate action today” (TOMS Shoes, 2011).
According to the company website, TOMS Shoes donates in a number of reasons. First, many children grow up barefoot in the developing countries. Second, children are at risk to become injured and get infection which cannot be treated, but can be easily prevented if children wear shoes and follow simple feet hygiene.
Third, some children are forbidden to attend school barefoot. In addition, healthy and happy children can become successful students and achieve high success. Fourth, only educated and healthy children can change their future and improve the life of the whole community.
The shoes are donated in the account for children under 18. The shoes are designed in such a way that they can meet the terrain and environmental peculiarity of the region. The main principle of the donation program is that the company donates one child’s shoes for each item bought with the brand. Thus, each person who buys shoes with TOMS donates. “With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One” (TOMS Shoes, 2011, n.p.).
One more event which is considered as a part of ethical public relations in TOMS Shoes is a One Day without Shoes campaign. This event was organized in 2008 for the first time by enthusiastic college students. In 2010 this event gathered more than 250,000 people all over the world (TOMS Shoes, 2011).
This year the event has taken place on 5th of April. The main purpose of this activity is to show people how much one pair of shows can give to a child (Vesilind, 2011). A barefoot walk for one day is extremely difficult for an adult, so there is nothing to say about children who have to do it from one day to another.
The main idea of public relations in the organization is charity and donation to those who are unable to cope with their problems individually. All the public activity of the company is represented on its website and everybody has an opportunity to check the newspaper publications devoted to the company activity and post a feedback in the company’s blog.
One of the main peculiarities of the charity case of TOMS Shoes is that this organization does not have any relation to non-governmental or voluntary sectors. Being a simple company which has a purpose to sell shoes with the profit goal, TOMS Shoes has managed to create such public relations which are more than ethical. So, it can be concluded that the main success of TOMS Shoes public relations is in their ethical decisions and global spread. This case can be applied to the analysis of the ethical public relations and to the discussion of the questions mentioned above.
Analysis and Application of Public Relations Ethics Theory
As it has been mentioned above, two public relations ethical questions are going to be considered. First of all, having checked the case details, it is possible to consider whether the company has managed to meet the ethical relations principles by means of One for One strategy and One Day without Shoes campaign.
The second problem which should be addressed is how these activities have influenced company image and brand popularity. Thus, it is important to state the principles of public relations, consider their ethical direction, and only then apply those principles to the chosen case study, TOMS Shoes.
Much research has been conducted in order to understand what the main principles of public relations are. A thorough analysis of some specific information allows us to state that there are six main principles of public relations.
- The company should tell the truth to its customers, no matter how bad it is.
- It is important that company’s statement is proven by the actions and activities.
- Customers’ opinion is important, so the company should listen to its customers.
- A look into the future is important for company’s public relations, so the manage for tomorrow principle should be followed.
- Public relations the company conducts should be provided on the full power, as if the whole company depends on it.
- It is always important to remain in good humor, with positive thoughts, calm and patient (Shen & Kim, 2010).
Thus, these are the principles of the public relations. To understand whether they are ethical or not many be a difficult affair as it is difficult to define the notion ‘ethics’ in business life. Being the principles of morality, it is possible to state that the principles of public relations mentioned above are ethical as they do not contradict moral statements of the US society.
At this stage of the research, we have full information about the company case and the principles of ethical public relations. It is high time to get down to deep analysis of the situation in TOMS Shoes in the relation to the principles of public relations.
TOMS Shoes has managed to meet the first principle as the company works on the basis of the full access to the information. The company has a blog where people have an opportunity to leave their comments, both positive and negative.
Moreover, the presence in such social networks as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube does not leave any chance for the company to hide something. All the information about the numerical data of the shoes which have been donated to children in the developing countries and the information about the members of One Day without Shoes campaign are presented on each of the mentioned networks.
The principle of proving the words by actions is also the part of company’s activity. Having stated that the company cares about children in the developing countries and their inability to buy shoes is proven by the actions!
One for One strategy and One Day without Shoes campaign are the main proves which must be considered in this case. The company has the statistics of the bought items, and according to the number of purchases, TOMS Shoes the same number of children’s pair of shoes to 23 countries.
It is possible to check the company website and find a lot of videos and photos about the donations. The reports are also available which offer detailed information about each country where TOMS Shoes currently gives (TOMS Shoes, 2011).
The company pays much attention to customers’ opinion, as except for the blog reports and the reaction to different news, customers of TOMS Shoes have an opportunity to leave their comments about each of the model. Providing an opportunity to create an account on TOMS Shoes, people can leave their feedback.
Moreover, those who have questions, concerns, or want to leave comments not on the company website, but desire to direct those to the company representatives, they can enter the Contact Information bar and send a message. TOMS Shoes works with the purpose to help people.
Having considered the main idea of the One for One strategy, it is possible to state that the company cares about the future of those children who they help. An opportunity to study, to be healthy and happy is what One for One in TOMS Shoes wants to offer children in developing countries. Offering children shoes now, TOMS Shoes tries to create a better future for them. TOMS Shoes conducts its public relations in the full volume as the whole company depends on it.
Being created with the purpose to help children wear shoes in everyday life, the company does all possible to encourage more and more people buy their shoes with the purpose to donate more footwear to children. One Day without Shoes is an annual event which is directed at attracting attention of more people to the problem. It was really hard to organize people in more than 20 countries and to make them become involved in the movement. But, the company has managed to prepare about 1600 events devoted to One Day without Shoes in the whole world (TOMS Shoes, 2011).
The company is positive in its ideas and activities. One can see that from the photos, videos and How We Wear Them forum where people upload their photos. Even though that when the company representatives and Mycoskie personally come to children with limited number of shoes without an opportunity to offer it to everybody, they offer children, as well as the whole community, hope. Hope is exactly what many children in the developing countries need.
Considering the problem of the influence of the One for One strategy and One Day without Shoes campaign on the customers’ buying power, it is important to remember that while the research of the appropriate literature for citing, each source connected with TOMS Shoes was related to donation and charity.
A brand with such image has positive image for sure. The company was organized in 2006 and in 2008 a lot of people supported the One Day without Shoes event. Isn’t it a proof that the company has become popular due to its mission and that many people buy its shoes not only because they are satisfied with the quality, but because the company public relations are positive. Getting down to conducting a research, the first reminding about TOMS Shoes evoked the reminding of the actions it provides.
The brand popularity depends on the company mission and the main ideas of running business. More and more companies in the footwear business field begin to understand that customers’ attitude to the brand depends on the charity activities they take. Ralph Lauren and Element Skateboards also base the advertising campaigns of their shoes collections on the TOMS Shoes experience.
Being inspired by the company success, they both try to increase their income and become useful to the needy. Therefore, it can be concluded that the company mission directed at supporting children in developing countries and supplying them with footwear as one of the main ideas for ethical public relations of TOMS Shoes have positively influenced company image and brand popularity.
Lessons Learned in Public Relations Ethics
One of the main lessons we have learnt while the TOMS Shoes case consideration is that it is possible to practice ethical public relations without being a non-governmental organization or any other related to the voluntary sector; it is just important to be socially responsible, fair and honorable.
Donation to other people is a good idea and an excellent opportunity to change the world morality in general. Personal experience of walking without shoes for one day is appropriate in the donation needs as people understand what does it mean to walk barefoot and may desire to help with more pairs of shoes.
There is one more lesson which everybody should learn from this case study. This lesson has been perfectly formulated by alumna Melissa Chu, an employee of TOMS Shoes, “One of the main benefits to what is going on in the economy is it is forcing people to reevaluate what is important.
For this generation, it is finding the interaction between the social good and the business profit” (in Mueller, 2009, p. 36). Living in rush and busy world, people become so financially dependent that they forget about the central values of life. TOMS Shoes wants to remind people that there are a lot of problems and those who can donate should do it. This example is the best one in showing that it is possible to combine profit and charity purposes within business.
Reference List
Baker, S. (2002). The theoretical ground for public relations practice and ethics: A Koehnian analysis. Journal of Business Ethics, 35(3), 191-205.
Ki, E., & Kim, S. (2010). Ethics statements of public relations firms: What do they say? Journal of Business Ethics, 91(2), 223-236.
Mueller, T. (2009). Profit with a purpose. Texas Magazine, 36.
Shen, H., & Kim, J. (2010). The authentic enterprise: Another buzz word or a true driver of quality relationships? Conference Papers — International Communication Association, 1.
TOMS shoes to donate one-millionth pair. (2010). WWD: Women’s Wear Daily, 200(28), 9.
TOMS Shoes. (2011). Web.
Vesilind, E. (2011). Toms Shoes wants you to go shoeless — for a good cause. Los Angeles Times. Web.