Unbelievable Blake Mycoskie Keynote
Founder of TOMS Shoes gets standing ovation for message of social giving.
- I had no intention of watching today's final keynote address from TOMS Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie. I had no idea who he is and had only briefly heard that his company gives shoes away with purchases. I even openly questioned why someone in the shoe industry was delivering a keynote at a tech conference.
But life works in funny ways. Today at 12:30pm, the panel I went to was less than stellar. I was searching for another panel, and I came across a talk about morality with a professor from Duke University. It happened to be in the same ballroom where the keynotes take place. I watched the final 20 minutes, and I decided to give the keynote a shot. I even moved up to second row, front and center. I thought to myself, "If this sucks, I'm going to call it a conference and go home."Then the introductory video hit. - I'm kind of an emotional guy, so it was all I could do to fight back tears - and we were only two minutes in. Glad to see I wasn't alone.
- If you've never heard of the TOMS Shoes story, here's a quick taste.
- Blake's message was simple. Incorporate social giving into your business model. He promised the following three benefits.
Incorporate giving into your business and customers become your greatest marketers. Insight from @TOMSshoes founder @blakemycoskie #sxswvar- When you incorporate giving into your business you attract the most amazing partners @TOMSshoes #SXSWi
- Not only does TOMS Shoes give a pair of shoes to a needy child with every sale, but workers also hand deliver the shoes and personally put them on the children's feet. Blake said he will never forget the image of his first "shoe drop," watching his mom on her hands and knees, cleaning off a child's infected foot and putting a shoe on that foot for the first time in that child's life.That, my friends, is power.
- Blake ended the keynote by answering two questions he gets all the time. The first: Who is Tom?!
@blakemycoskie of @tomsshoes on Co. name: Who is Tom? There is no Tom. Tom stands for an idea; a better tomorrow. #SXSW keynote #SXSWtoms- The next question was what's next for TOMS Shoes.
- From there, it was a standing ovation and lots of inspiration to close a spectacular SXSWi 2011.
- Just attended Blake Mycoskie's sxsw keynote about Toms Shoes. Probably the most inspiring presentation I've ever attended. toms.com
