What hath TOMS wrought? Another example of a brand giving back in an innovative way: Eye Deals Eyewear is launching its own line of eyewear, Paws ‘N Claws, geared towards the 170 million plus audience of dog and cat owners. 

In support of animals, and to streamline the altruism of animal lovers, the Pittsburgh, PA-based retailer will donate five percent of the line's net sales to the ASPCA.Continue reading...

IBM marks 100 years in business on June 16, a rare achievement by any standard — and considering that its business is technology, make that an astounding achievement.

To mark its centenary, the brand is launching global initiatives that will incorporate all 170 countries of operation, including hundreds of local grants to support employees' volunteer activities in support of "smarter planet initiatives" as a global "Celebration of Service" in which tens of thousands of IBMers, retirees and partners will participate.Continue reading...

As we previewed yesterday, the TOMS Shoes brand is shirking off "Shoes" to become just TOMS. Blake Mycoskie and his employees, featured in the big reveal video above, will continue to sell their simple but distinctive cloth shoes, but now they're expanding into a second product line: eyewear.

Similar to its "one for one" BOGO (buy one, give one) model that saw its millionth pair of shoes donated to a child in a developing country late last year, TOMS is expanding its brand to give the gift of sight to those in need, as TOMS transforms from "just a shoe brand" to a truly one-for-one brand.Continue reading...

TOMS Shoes is ready to kick off the "Shoes" in its brand identity, rebranding with a campaign (which we previewed in March) dubbed "What's Your Next Chapter?" that will be unveiled in a series of events with its partners across the US tomorrow.

The company, founded by Blake Mycoskie in 2006, changed the game of social activism with its "one for one" business model — a pair of shoes is donated for every pair purchased. TOMS quickly made its bandage-style shoes ubiquitous, and proved it's possible to be profitable while impacting the lives of those less fortunate.

More than 1 million pairs of shoes distributed in over 20 countries later, TOMS has proven that social media is the lightning rod for digital activism be it on Facebook, Twitter, guerilla marketing or blogging. Now, Mycoskie is ready to expand beyond TOMS beyond shoes, taking "One for One" to the next level.Continue reading...

Trending on YouTube today is the above video by Grammy-winning artist Cee Lo Green. And no, it's not Forget You, but it's pretty close.

The song/music video is titled Thank You, and directed at volunteer firefighters, not evil ex-girlfriends. Green partnered with Duracell to pay tribute to the National Volunteer Fire Council and help promote the brand's Power Those Who Protect Us program, which encourages the public to donate batteries to raise funds and awareness for America's volunteer firefighters.

Green has a personal reason for revamping his hit song as a VFD tribute: the Atlanta native's mother was a volunteer firefighter who, when he was a teenager, was rescued from a near-fatal car accident by volunteer firefighters.Continue reading...

The Google homepage today, you may have noted, features a "Google Doodle" logo in honor of International Women's Day. Click on it to connect to Google's special website marking IWD's centenary of raising awareness about the state of women's rights.

Google and IWD organizers are backing International Women for Women's Join Women on the Bridge campaign, supported by actress Geena Davis (see her PSA, above). Other brands are also doing their part.Continue reading...

Where Reese Witherspoon's International Women's Day campaign for Avon is earnest, some celeb Brit wits address the same issue — domestic violence, plus and a host of other issues holding back women's equality — with dark wit.

The PSA above, running in cinemas and on British TV, depicts actor Daniel Craig, in his guise as James Bond, putting himself, literally, in a woman's shoes.Continue reading...

Tuesday, March 8th, marks the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. On behalf of the Avon Foundation, the brand's global ambassador since 2007, actress Reese Witherspoon, is being featured in a new PSA campaign that speaks out against domestic violence.Continue reading...