• by Wayne Friedman , September 20, 2022

NBCUniversal is starting up a program to help small businesses -- providing advertising and marketing services, with State Farm and creative agency Walton Isaacson signing on as partners.

The program, called “Open Doors: Where Small Businesses Thrive,” will launch across NBCUniversal’s One Platform during Hispanic Heritage Month with an on-air message focusing on one small business in English and in Spanish.

The first will feature family-owned Venezuelan restaurant Cachapas y Mas, located in New York City, followed by an October spotlight featuring Louisiana retail store Fleurty Girl, in support of National Women's Small Business Month.

The effort will provide a bilingual visual marketing and creative playbook.

Aaron Walton, chief executive officer and founder of Walton Isaacson, said in a release: “Startups and small businesses cannot always afford the investment to reap the recognition that big brand resources can.”

"State Farm's involvement comes through its long-time structure as an insurance agency. “Every State Farm agency is independently owned,” says Alyson Griffin, vice president of marketing, State Farm. “Agents truly understand the unique needs of small business owners.”