L’Oréal Paris Moves Women of Worth to NBC Broadcast
L’Oréal Paris is moving its annual Women of Worth event from The Pierre Hotel to a national broadcast on NBC.
In lieu of the annual gala typically held for L’Oréal’s philanthropic platform that honors women who have founded charitable organizatons in their local communities, the brand this year has partnered with NBC on an hour-long, documentary-style program to air Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST.
While the spread of COVID-19 continues to prevent large in-person gatherings, L’Oréal Paris president Ali Goldstein said the brand had been rethinking prior to the pandemic how to approach this year’s event, which is marking its 15th anniversary.
“There was always an opportunity to increase the scale and really allow consumers and broader America to have a more significant view of this very special program,” said Goldstein. “COVID-19 was just the impetus to get us there.”
Women of Worth honors 10 women every year who run charitable organizations that benefit their local communities. The program’s honorees, who are nominated by friends, family or community members and selected by L’Oréal Paris, receive $10,000 grants. One woman is selected by consumer vote as the National Honoree and given $25,000.
The annual gala is typically filled with industry insiders and celebrities — usually L’Oréal Paris ambassadors and New York media personalities who are brought in to introduce the honorees. This year, L’Oréal Paris ambassadors including Camila Cabello, Viola Davis, Elle Fanning, Eva Longoria and Helen Mirren will introduce the 2020 honorees. The celebrities will also help drum up support for the vote for this year’s National Honoree — consumers will be encouraged during the broadcast to vote, to be tallied and revealed on Nov. 27.
After the initial broadcast, the program will be available to watch on NBC’s streaming platform, Peacock.
“L’Oréal came to us looking to own the night and create a high level of exposure,” said Josh Feldman, executive vice president and head of marketing and advertising creative and head of creative partnerships, a division of NBCUniversal’s sales organization. “I think in the world we’re living in right now, [people want to hear] about the stories and causes these women [champion].
This year’s honorees advocate for causes ranging from mental health awareness to support for opioid addiction. An additional award — the COVID-19 Heroine award — has been added to honor a woman who had made an impact specifically related to fighting the COVID-19 crisis.
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