Offering World-Class Virtual Consumer Activations by Festival Partners Coca-Cola, AT&T | WarnerMedia, Ford, McDonald’s, My Black Is Beautiful, P&G, Walmart and More!
The 2020 ESSENCE Festival of Culture: Unstoppable Virtual Experience Presented by Coca-Cola unveils invigorating branded experiences for the first-ever virtual ESSENCE Festival of Culture. Expanded to two weekends this year, the virtual Festival is offering world-class consumer activations curated by corporate partners including presenting sponsor Coca-Cola, and major sponsors AT&T | WarnerMedia, Ford, McDonald’s, My Black is Beautiful, P&G and Walmart. The ESSENCE Festival’s branded experiences kicks off June 25-28 and July 2-5 and will stream on essencestudios.com.
Visit here to learn more about the full festival programming and top brand activations, which include:
COCA-COLA
Coca-Cola returns for the 25th year as the presenting sponsor of the most impactful and authentic festival for African American women around the world. For additional information, please visit: https://www.coca-colacompany.com.
AT&T | WarnerMedia
AT&T has been a long-time proud sponsor of the ESSENCE Festival and for the first time AT&T and WarnerMedia are uniting to bring together the power of both of their brands to provide attendees with memorable conversations that include iconic talent from powerhouses including HBO, CNN, Turner Sports, and will also feature top celebrities and community leaders that you won’t want to miss.
FORD
Ford returns for the 12th consecutive year to uplift Black women through a series of powerful panel discussions on entrepreneurship, empowerment and mental health and showcase our commitment to lifechanging organizations. Stop by Ford’s virtual booth at essencestudios.com/ford to check out the latest vehicle line up and register for your chance to win a vehicle of your choice in the Ford Choose Your Way sweepstakes! #MyFordFam
MCDONALD’S
McDonald’s USA is proud to partner with the ESSENCE Girls United HBCU initiative for the “Checking In On Our Girls” panel taking place on Saturday, June 27th. And to help more Black students return to school amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, McDonald’s is launching a $500,000 HBCU scholarship fund with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Powered by McDonald’s Black & Positively Golden movement, both initiatives are extensions of the company’s longstanding commitment to supporting the African-American community. Join in and follow the movement @wearegolden on Instagram.
MY BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL AND P&G
My Black Is Beautiful, a community-building platform powered by P&G, has celebrated 13 years at ESSENCE Festival with a signature beauty experience. As a first-time major sponsor, My Black Is Beautiful and P&G’s family of brands are connecting in new and familiar ways across the virtual experience, all anchored against the racial inequality in America that requires strategy, justice and restoration for our minds and bodies. Join the movement @mbib and don’t miss the big moments in Beauty Carnival, Main Stage and more. #TwoEvils #HowWeCope
WALMART
Walmart participates in the ESSENCE Festival for the 12th consecutive year to celebrate and empower Black women and men through a content series showcasing our commitment to diversity and inclusion, entrepreneurship and recruitment. Be sure to tune in for tips on having a successful virtual interview and a series of episodes featuring a pitch competition where Black female entrepreneurs have a chance to sell their products on Walmart.com or in Walmart stores. To learn more about Walmart’s initiative to support diverse suppliers, visit here: hattps://corporate.walmart.com/suppliers/supplier-inclusion.
In addition, checkout the following stages where ESSENCE brand partners will be showing up:
ESSENCE Wellness House™: Kickstart your path to recovery with meditation, conversations, workouts and tutorials designed to boost your mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, and financial well-being. AMA, Ford, Neutrogena, Secret, Vaseline and Walmart. LEARN MORE
ESSENCE Beauty Carnival ™: Step inside a virtual beauty sphere with top brands, makeup artists, hair stylists, skincare experts and more! Stream live tutorials and get expert tips to accentuating your own flawless beauty with products and brands that are making a splash across the globe. Aveeno, Dove, Estee Lauder, HBO, Hulu, My Black is Beautiful, Olay, Pantene/ Royal Oils, SheaMoisture and Walmart. LEARN MORE
ESSENCE Wealth & Power Stage™: Get the tools you need to invest in yourself and make strides in entrepreneurship, career, and personal finance. Plus, get the latest on the 2020 candidates, the issues that matter most, and why your voice counts! US Census Bureau, Chase, Coca-Cola, Disney, Dove, Facebook, Ford, Johnson & Johnson, McDonald’s, Microsoft, PineSol, SheaMoisture, State Farm and Walmart. LEARN MORE
ESSENCE Get Lifted™: The annual all-star Gospel tribute will hit your screen for two Sundays back-to-back! Tune in for powerful words of praise by Bishop Paul S. Morton, plus music by New Orleans’ very own Greater Sound of Greater St. Stephen FGBC Choir. Then, keep the good feels going with performances by the greatest voices in Gospel! Coke and Netflix. LEARN MORE
ESSENCE Best of the Fest™: Highlights of some of the most memorable moments from the history of ESSENCE Festival. Each show has a celebrity host, celebrity interviews and a musical performance. Both the host and guests talk about their memories of ESSENCE Festival, it’s importance to the Black community, and any upcoming projects. Coke, My Black Is Beautiful and P&G. Visit ESSENCE’s Facebook For More.
ESSENCE Entertainment All Access Pre-Show: Catch your Hollywood favorites in Q&As and be the first to see exclusive sneak peeks of the hottest upcoming releases. BET+, Disney, Hulu, Netflix, Queen Collective, Starz and HBO. LEARN MORE
ESSENCE Essential Heroes: In honor of the frontline workers who have worked tirelessly during the COVID-19 pandemic, #MyEssentialHeroes called for ESSENCE® followers to nominate their essential heroes by sharing the inspiring stories of essential workers they know. ESSENCE will celebrate these nominees in a special ceremony streaming during the festival. Coke, Ford and Suave. LEARN MORE
Join this year’s Festival community by following us on Twitter, @essencefest #EssenceFest. For more information and for the latest news about the 2020 ESSENCE Festival of Culture®: Unstoppable Virtual Experience, visit www.essencefestival.com.
The ESSENCE Festival of Culture® is executive produced by ESSENCE Festivals LLC, a division of ESSENCE Communications Inc. Sponsors of the 2020 ESSENCE Festival of Culture®: Unstoppable Virtual Experience include presenting sponsor Coca-Cola and major sponsors AT&T | WarnerMedia, Ford, McDonald’s, My Black Is Beautiful, P&G and Walmart.
About Essence Communications Inc.
Essence Communications is the number one media, technology and commerce company dedicated to Black women and inspires a global audience of more than 31 million through diverse storytelling and immersive original content. With a multi-platform presence in publishing, experiential and online, ESSENCE encompasses its signature magazine; digital, video and social platforms; television specials; books; as well as live events, including Black Women in Music, Black Women in Hollywood, Street Style and the ESSENCE Festival. Essence Communications is owned by Essence Ventures, an independent Black-owned, consumer technology company merging content, community and commerce to meet the evolving cultural and lifestyle needs of people of color.