There's one test that can easily weed out the good cause-based products from the great ones: How would this product fare if there wasn't a cause associated with it in the first place?
One of the legends of the BOGO world, TOMS, certainly passes the test when they released their simple canvas alpargata style slip-ons on time to ride the skinny jeans fashion wave to success.
Harry's, a men's shaving company, seems to have the stuff to pass the test as well; a quality product, affordability, and an effective brand strategy. Harry's rounds up our series on BOGO companies and shows everyone how to do it right.
We continue our series of articles on innovative ''One for One'' or ''Buy One Give One'' (BOGO) companies with Smiles for the People, a company that sells a simple, sustainable toothbrush.
Smiles is a business built from the ground up based upon the BOGO model. However, they not only offer an impactful BOGO product in an area that is often overlooked (oral health), they have put themselves in a position to be flexible and responsive to the needs of the people they are trying to help.
Google has a famously simple slogan: ''Don't be evil.'' With its One Today app, Google has ventured into ''doing good'' territory. Google's One Today app is also simple -- donate one dollar a day to a featured cause, get friends involved, and see exactly how much impact you've created.
The more times you donate, the better the app gets at featuring non-profits and causes that matter to you. You can also match donations from others, up to a preset total. The app also presents huge improvements in personal impact tracking as it places impact measurement and tracking front and center. We had a chance to try out the app in its Android pilot and are incredibly excited at just how catalytic One Today could turn out to be.
One-for-one, or BOGO (Buy One, Give One), social businesses have been popping up everywhere covering a myriad of products. As socially conscious consumers, we are becoming accustomed to the business model and a BOGO campaign, while still great, does not highlight a company's dedication to social change like it used to.
It's time for some progress. At CraveGood we plan in the next couple of articles to look at some companies and products that are embracing the BOGO model, but are pushing it forward to create longer-lasting, effective impact. Kicking off our BOGO Series is STATE, a backpack company that donates a backpack to poverty-stricken children in America for every bag sold.
However, unlike most BOGO companies, STATE is not just donating a product. They have created an entire initiative around personally connecting with these kids through rallies where backpacks are handed out along with messages of hope. STATE is showing the social enterprise world just how much further BOGO can go.
Every once in a while, we come across an idea that not only creates change, but also encourages others to do so as well. The ideas behind a catalytic changemaker usually have two important attributes: one, they are simple, and two, they stay with us on a personal level. Alex Sheen's "Because I said I would" movement encapsulates both those features in a great concept: the promise card.
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