Animated videos
for grow america
Bringing transparency to small-business lending.
Grow America is a CDFI (or community development financial institution) invested in small businesses’ success as a path to stronger communities. It wanted to demystify its loan processes to help more business owners secure funding for growth. Using clear explanations and imaginative storytelling, we helped Grow America create a series of videos that welcomed its audiences into the process — and onto a more prosperous path.
plain-language explanation
Talking through a complex process.
The documentation requirements alone can make applying for a loan intimidating, preventing business owners from applying or leading them to drop out of the process. Grow America’s “what to expect” video used clear visuals and everyday language to guide potential borrowers through the paperwork and process. It also explained the reasons and ways lenders use borrowers’ information, helping to ensure confidence and good preparation.
creative storytelling
Inspiring owners to dream big.
Grow America wanted to show business owners how a loan could take them to the next level. It also wanted to reach more qualified leads, clients who understood what made them good loan candidates. We started by building a story and whimsical illustrations around a fictional magic-wand retailer. Against that fantastical backdrop, the result is a video that puts money management into concrete terms. It’s information that helps put borrowers in a stronger position to build generational wealth.
visual style
Building a world full of possibility.
Grow America knew it needed to talk about more than money. It needed to talk about dreams — so we invented a “wish factory” that used a loan to expand into the magic-wand market. Around that factory, we developed a whole community to help illustrate business-growth and loan-readiness concepts. This video used vivid colors, rich textures and stylized characters and environments to create a world where business owners’ dreams can come true.
Setting expectations
Relationships built on communication & trust.
CDFIs can face hesitation within the communities they serve. That hesitation is sometimes linked to historic distrust of financial institutions in general, based on discrimination or abuses. Grow America’s “what happens next” video demonstrates its support of business owners even after loan funding, emphasizing open communication and encouraging owners to reach out with concerns or for help. This video also helps prevent surprises for borrowers, highlighting key points during loan terms.