American Express OPEN is the small business arm of AMEX. In 2010/11, as America was coming out of the Great Recession, small business owners needed a boost. 

In a show of optimism and support, American Express OPEN—together with CPB—launched “Start Booming” with the mission of helping small businesses succeed. Instead of offering traditional financial services, they expanded their products to include a suite of digital business tools to help owners with everything from productivity to marketing.

The team at CPB helped AMEX OPEN create an online community where owners could network with each other. 

This move away from traditional advertising and toward helpful products and services created a space where AMEX could actually do something to fulfill their brand mission of “Helping small business do more business.”