NBCUniversal said it is starting a new program to help diverse, small businesses with launch partners State Farm and ad agency Walton Isaacson.
“Open Doors: Where Small Businesses Thrive” is commencing during Hispanic Heritage Month and will key initially on Latino-focused businesses with ads on the NBCU platform running in Spanish and English.
The program is designed to bring big brand resources to smaller enterprises.
“As a small-business owner myself, I wanted to not only share resources with my fellow entrepreneurs, but also create an opportunity for big brands to deliver a return on impact for minority-owned small businesses who had been adversely impacted throughout the pandemic,” said Christine Escribano, senior VP, head of One Platform marketing, at NBCUniversal Advertising & Partnerships. “With the support from my colleagues on the NBCUniversal Empowerment & Inclusion Council and our launch partners, State Farm and Walton Isaacson, I am thrilled for Open Doors to take shape.”
The program features a virtual, bilingual visual marketing and creative services playbook that will arm small-business owners with strategic tools and resources, including detailed descriptions of brand positioning, as well as guidance on logo development, website-building strategies and how to use social media.
“Visual and audio creative content are essential to brand-building and also rebranding,” Walton Isaacson founder and CEO Aaron Walton said. “Key to capturing consumer attention, they are highly effective at building brand reputation and awareness. Yet start-ups and small businesses cannot always afford the investment to reap the recognition that big brand resources can. This initiative affords small businesses that opportunity and the tools and resources they need to build better businesses.”
The first ad spotlights family-owned Venezuelan restaurant Cachapas y Mas, located in New York City. In October, woman-owned Louisiana retail store Fluerty Girls will be featured in support of National Women’s Small Business Month.
“State Farm is excited to work with NBCUniversal and Walton Isaacson to spotlight how minority, small-owned businesses open doors for the entire community,” State Farm marketing VP Alyson Griffin said. “Every State Farm agency is independently-owned. Agents truly understand the unique needs of small business owners as they are business owners themselves, and they are invested in helping make their communities thrive.” ■
