Latest news with #OpenCall
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
YouTube Launches ‘Open Call,' a New Way for Marketers to Solicit Branded Content From Creators
For several years, YouTube has provided a matchmaking service to connect marketers with top creators to promote their wares. Now the video platform has a new tool that it's hoping will make it even easier for brands to enlist creators for campaigns at scale. YouTube on Tuesday announced Open Call, which will let brands broadly request sponsored content from creators who are part of the YouTube Partner Program. The new feature is powered by YouTube BrandConnect, the platform's marketplace for brands to discover and partner with creators. The announcement is timed for the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the advertising conference taking place this week in the south of France. More from Variety Disney Loses Legal Bid to Block YouTube's Hiring of Media Exec Justin Connolly YouTube Disputes Disney Lawsuit's Claims Over Justin Connolly Hiring, Alleges Disney Is Using Exec as 'Pawn' in License Talks Justin Connolly, After Exiting Disney, Joins YouTube as Global Head of Media and Sports; Disney Sues Over Exec's Hiring With Open Call, based on a marketer's creative brief, creators can proactively respond by creating videos that match the parameters of the project and then share them with the brand. At that point, the brand that issued the Open Call can decide which videos to use in their campaigns. The marketer can then promote creator videos as 'partnership ads' in Google Ads. Open Call 'gives creators of all sizes the opportunity to pursue new relationships with brands,' Melissa Hsieh Nikolic, director of product management, YouTube Ads, wrote in a blog post about the new feature. Marketers can 'lean on the relevance and trust of YouTube creators to get more from your social strategy on YouTube.' Initially, Open Call is available for 'select advertisers,' with a broader rollout planned in the coming months, according to YouTube. YouTube says there are more than 3 million channels in the YouTube Partner Program, which shares ad revenue with creators (and provides other perks) if those creators meet certain minimum thresholds. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Walmart debuts ‘Grow with US' program for small businesses
This story was originally published on Retail Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Retail Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: Walmart debuted its Grow with US initiative, which provides U.S. small businesses with training, mentorship and resources to grow in collaboration with the retail giant, according to a press release. With the program, Walmart is offering participating businesses access to mentors, its Supplier Academy curriculum and financial support via its Early Payment Program and Bridge Marketplace. Small businesses will also have a chance to present their businesses at product discovery opportunities like its U.S. Open Call event, RangeMe product discovery tool or the Walmart Marketplace, according to the press release. In June, Walmart will begin accepting applications for its annual Open Call event in October, during which small and mid-sized businesses can promote their products to Walmart and Sam's Club merchants, per the press release. Dive Insight: Walmart's Grow with US program is part of its broader efforts to reach small businesses, which comprise more than 60% of its American suppliers. Ahead of its Open Call event in Bentonville, Arkansas, Walmart is hosting a series of pop-up events in May, where businesses can meet with Walmart buyers, receive feedback on their ideas and potentially win a pass to its October Open Call, the release said. The company's Grow with US is part of its small business development efforts globally, including Crece con Walmart in Mexico and Vriddhi in India, the release noted. 'Small businesses are the backbone of our communities and there are countless stories of how businesses … are finding long-term growth and success with Walmart,' John Furner, president and CEO of Walmart U.S., wrote in a blog post. 'We're excited to continue providing support for and championing the achievements of these businesses every step of the way.' The Walmart initiatives come at a time when small businesses are bracing for the impacts of President Donald Trump's looming trade war. Unlike Walmart, small businesses lack the power to negotiate with suppliers, nor can they withstand wholesale and manufacturing price increases, according to Greg Stoller, master lecturer at the Boston University Questrom School of Business. While some executives have been trying to persuade President Trump to reverse course, small businesses have taken a different route: the courts. Last month, several small businesses teamed up to challenge President Trump's tariffs in the U.S. Court of International Trade.
Axios
29-04-2025
- Business
- Axios
Exclusive: Walmart expands support for American-made products
Walmart is expanding support for American-made products through new programs to help small businesses, the retailer shared exclusively with Axios Tuesday. Why it matters: Growing the pipeline to have more items made in the U.S. can help insulate the world's largest retailer — and consumers — from the effects of tariffs and the trade war. The big picture: Walmart announced a new "Grow with US" program and shared details of the upcoming 2025 Open Call to make it "easier for U.S.-based entrepreneurs to navigate the complexities of retail and bring their products to a national stage." "We anticipate thousands of small businesses will take advantage of these free resources over the coming years," John Furner, Walmart U.S. president and CEO, told Axios. Catch up quick: Walmart said in 2021 that it planned to spend an additional $350 billion by 2030 on items made, grown or assembled in the U.S., which the company estimated would help generate 750,000 jobs nationwide. More than two-thirds of products sold in Walmart U.S. stores are "made, grown or assembled" in the country, company CFO John David Rainey said at the company's investment community meeting earlier this month. "The third that we import comes from all over the world, but China and Mexico are the most significant," Rainey said. Walmart "Grow with US" program Zoom in: Walmart's new "Grow with US" is a four-step program designed to provide U.S. small businesses with training, mentorship and resources needed to grow with the company, Furner said. "We've seen firsthand how investing in small businesses results in better assortment, better meeting the needs of our customer base, and supporting jobs and growth in communities," Furner told Axios. Furner said more than 60% of all U.S. suppliers last year were small businesses. The program is part of Walmart's "expanding commitment to small business development," joining programs around the world, including "Crece con Walmart" in Mexico and "Vriddhi" in India. The programs have graduated 70,000 small businesses in four years, Walmart said. How it works: U.S. small businesses interested in participating can register with Walmart by providing a voluntary Small Business Administration certification, or by requesting verification through the retailer. Walmart Open Call 2025 State of play: Applications for Walmart's annual Open Call event open June 24. U.S.-based small and medium-sized businesses will get the chance to pitch their shelf-ready products directly to Walmart and Sam's Club merchants. Merchandise reviewed could end up on shelves at Walmart or Sam's Club stores, or Walmart Marketplace. The Open Call event is Oct. 7-8 in Bentonville, Arkansas but there are several pop-up pitch events for aspiring suppliers beforehand where some "potentially score a fast pass to our main event in Bentonville," Furner said.
