A True Sense of Meaningfulness
Motivated by feeling a lack of true meaningfulness in their professional lives, the ‘Good is the New Cool’ movement started by US based marketers Afdhel Aziz and Bobby Jones is indicative of an increasing sense in more and more people of wanting to be part of a real force for good.
The two successful marketing professionals were so inspired by stories of others who were doing ‘cool innovative work and making money, while having a positive impact on the world’, that they committed to building a movement. It began with a highly recommended book, and has continued with a series of successful global events.
Buy One, Give One
One sure way of having an impact and becoming a force for good is what has become known as the ‘buy one, give one’ model. This refers to a model where every sale of a product generates an act of ‘giving’ by the brand in question. In other words, you buy something, they give something.
Toms & Warby Parker
Two of the best known exponents of ‘buy one, give one’ are Toms and Warby Parker. Founder of footwear brand Toms, Blake Mycoskie is the man behind ‘One for One’, a simple idea that he has grown into a global movement. Now also helping with sight, safe birth and access to water, he began with shoes and to date Toms has given 93 million pairs to children in need of them.
With their ‘buy a pair, give a pair’ model, eyeglasses brand Warby Parker are committed to helping address the problem of the millions of people around the world who need glasses, but don’t have access to them. Through a network of qualified partners worldwide, they ensure that for every pair of Warby Parker glasses sold, a pair is distributed to someone in need.
Giving Feels Good
Take this a step further back in the process, and as individuals all of us have the opportunity to ‘buy one, give one’. Think about it, when we buy those shiny new tennis shoes, or those new running shoes that give us super-powers, are the old ones really all worn out? Or are they still good for plenty of sets, and a lot more miles?
The buzz we all get from lacing up our new footwear could also be the first step for someone else, someone who could really use the pair that we no longer want. Giving feels even better than getting, and good is the new cool.