Open Doors

Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy and the COVID-19 pandemic hit them hard. Understanding that consumers place a lot of value in brands that stand up for causes that support the greater community, NBCU created a multi-platform program designed to bring creative, marketing, and media resources to small businesses and their owners: "Open Doors: Where Small Businesses Thrive.” A Small Business Playbook was the heartbeat of this campaign. Crafted in both English and Spanish, the digital playbook included helpful information that provided relevant and valuable details for small business owners, including NBCUniversal videos, articles, sponsor-supplied materials, and custom-created downloadable resources covering a variety of topics. We created an Anthem Spot to talk to the small business owner and not at them. Specifically curated as a conversation between friends, we shared how State Farm and NBCUniversal could help them grow their business by offering helpful strategies, worksheets, and advice, plus a community where small business owners everywhere could gather, stay connected, and keep one another motivated and supported due to the common experience they shared. We also enlisted advertising and marketing agency, Walton Isaacson, which was tasked with helping us translate our conversation between friends into a tailored visual piece: The Spotlight. This custom content showcased two small businesses, Cachapas y Mas in New York City and Fleurty Girl in New Orleans, and it focused not only on how they added to the community culturally, but also how they added to it economically by providing jobs. Currently, Open Doors has been live for two months and is actively helping small businesses daily. We have had over 500 small businesses express direct interest in our downloadable resources. More than 60% identified as certified minority small business owners. We continue to lean into representation, investment, and strength and empowerment to further support small businesses everywhere.