The United States has been the world’s leading economy for a long time. It also leads the world in terms of giving, whether that come in the form of charitable donations, philanthropy or more recently the rise of social capitalism and the “buy one, give one” movement as modeled by Toms Shoes (shoes) and Warby Parker (eyeglasses).
Make no mistake, these are for-profit enterprises. Yet they have embraced a cause as part of their mission and are doing very well. As described by cultural writer Virginia Postrel, today’s consumer has shifted purchase decisions from “I like that” to an increasingly value-driven “I
am
like that.”
A new favorite "cause marketer" sells socks. Just socks. The company, Bombas, was started in 2013 and did $800K in sales. The next year their founders appeared on the show
Shark Tank
and sales exploded. They are on pace to do $60 million this year. Yes, they too give away a pair with each pair sold, and the giveaway socks actually cost
more
to make as they were designed more robustly to meet the needs of the homeless.