Empowering Small Businesses: The Vistaprint Micro Main Street Initiative

Challenge:

As a global e-commerce brand, Vistaprint was seeking a way to stand out among competitors by showcasing their dedication to empowering small business owners. Their goal was to generate national and regional media attention to their brand, encouraging other micro-business owners to consider their services when choosing quality printed materials. The challenge lay in creating a unique, impactful initiative that could generate considerable public interest and media attention.

Approach:

To address this challenge, Vistaprint partnered with Chameleon Collective to drive awareness for “Micro Main Street” – a series of pop-up events celebrating the diversity and economic impact of small businesses. The initiative kicked off with two events, particularly focusing on LGBTQ-owned and veteran-owned micro-businesses. Chameleon Collective curated a public relations program, which included partnering with small business expert Gene Marks as a spokesperson for the brand, pitching media, and partnering with micro-influencers at each event. They also developed compelling campaign messaging that highlighted real stories of each micro business owner to pique media interest.

Impact:

The strategic approach of Chameleon Collective led to substantial media coverage in top-tier publications and broadcast outlets including Tamron Hall, Inc., USA Today, Entrepreneur, Thrive Global, and Business News Daily, all directing traffic back to the Micro Main Street website. The media coverage earned 170 million media impressions and successfully drove 161,000 readers back to the website, amplifying Vistaprint’s visibility and cementing its commitment to the small business community.