TOMS Blake Mycoskie Talks ‘Ticket To Give’ Program

By Jenny University Of Texas

Just when you think TOMS can’t get any greater, Blake Mycoskie (CEO and Founder) does something else that’s awesome. For those of you not familiar with the brand, TOMS is a shoe company dedicated to donating one pair of shoes to a child in need for every one pair of shoes sold. It’s a one for one policy that is never compromised. Customers can be confident that with every pair of shoes they buy, another pair goes to a child in need. The new ‘Ticket to Give’ campaign takes this satisfaction to the next level. TOMS customers now have the opportunity to win a trip to drop off shoes with Blake!

Check out our interview below to get all the details about how this could be you!

What inspired you to send one customer every week on a shoe drop?

Βlake: I started the company 6 years ago with a very simple idea; for every pair of shoes we sell, we’d give a pair to a child in need, One-for-One. We’ve given millions of shoes to children around the world, but the best part about the experience is actually going on the trips, meeting the kids, being in the communities, and I wanted to give that experience back to the customers who have been supporting us the past few years.

What do you hope this inspires in your customers?

Βlake: Βy launching something called the TOMS Ticket to Give, and actually choosing a customer every single week on toms.com, hopefully their trips and their experiences will be a big part of the TOMS community going forward. So, it won’t just be TOMS going on trips and putting pictures and videos, but it will be 10’s if not hundreds of customers going on trips and talking about their experience, and I think it will really bring the community together in a meaningful way.

How can people win this golden ticket opportunity?

Blake: So, it’s very easy. Every single week, on TOMS.com, we will select one customer to go on the trip. So, whether you are buying a pair of sunglasses, a T-Shirt, or a pair of our shoes, you are eligible to win the opportunity to get the TOMS Ticket to Give and go with me on a giving trip.

Where will you be sending people?

Blake: Our first trip will be in Honduras, but the trips could be in Africa, South America, all over the world where we give. We give in about, over 20 countries right now, we’re giving TOMS shoes. So, any of the countries we go to are eligible for the trips.

Will you be on each drop off trip?

Blake: For the first year I will be going to a portion of each trip. So, sometimes I’ll be at the beginning of the trip, sometimes I’ll be at the end of trip. A lot of it depends on where I am that month or that week, but I definitely will be a part of every single trip this first year.

What is your favorite pair of TOMS?

Blake: Oh Man, I think my red university classics are my favorite pair of TOMS. I wear those pretty regularly.

Our readers want to know, how is your hair so fabulous? What hair products do you use?

Blake: (Laughs) Oh man, I use some Bumble and Bumble like out of bed cream or something in the morning, so that’s about it.

Who designs your shoes?

Blake: Originally I did all the design the first couple years, but as the company has grown, and my travel schedule has expanded so much, we have a team of about 5 or 6 people at TOMS in Los Angeles that are doing all of the designs, and they are doing an amazing job. I’m actually wearing a pair that is not out yet, but it’s a new kind of boat shoe that we’re doing, which I think is really fantastic. They just gave it to me last week to test out, and so far I really like it.

How do you select children and communities to give shoes to?

Blake: We get requests from all different non-profit organizations and governments all over the world and we try to look at, based on the need where it is the greatest and where we can do sustainable giving. So, when we commit to an area we want to go back time after time after time, and that means having a great local partner. But it also means looking at: What are the health risks when people don’t have shoes? Do they need shoes to go to school? I mean, These are all considered as we make a decision. But, the most important is, Can we do it in sustainable way with a local partner?

Did you collaborate with Willy Wonka on this campaign? Is he a cool dude?

Blake: (Laughs) I think Willy Wonka is a super cool dude. Unfortunately, as I child, I never got the golden ticket to go to the chocolate factory, so this is my way of offering the golden ticket to many of our customers.