Brand- Bobs by Skechers

My example of branding for seminar is Bobs by Skechers. Their commercial caught my eye on TV tonight. What I find especially interesting about this brand is that their product is exactly the same as TOMS- not only is the shoe the same design and comes in similar colors and styles, Skechers is promoting the same act of donating a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair of Bobs purchased. The Skechers version of the brand is also selling for, on average, $12-$30 less per pair of shoes. It is interesting to me that Bobs is so wholeheartedly copying a very specific idea, and that they are using television advertisements to promote their product- the only marketing I have ever seen for TOMS has been limited to internet marketing. Here is a link to the Bobs website: http://www.skechers.com/women/brands/bobs and here is a link to the TOMS website: http://www.toms.com/

I don't think Bobs is using particularly effective branding here- Skechers is being ridiculed for launching Bobs merely for marketing purposes as opposed to TOMS theoretically well-intentioned purpose of merely doing good. The following article does a great job explaining why Skechers is now being looked at with a critical eye- they're Bobs program is obviously lacking in creativity as they have not only exactly copied the program but the shoe design as well. http://www.fastcompany.com/1696887/toms-vs-bobs-how-skechers-shot-themselves-in-the-foot