Calla Shoes named among winners of Channel 4 £300K TV ad competition

Calla Shoes, a footwear brand for women with problem feet, has been named one of the winners of 'Small Business, Big Break' - a Channel 4-backed competition - securing a share of a TV advertising package worth over £300,000.

As part of the new initiative designed to "propel the nation’s most innovative small businesses into the spotlight", Calla Shoes founder Jennifer Bailey has been selected as one of three winners of the competition.

She is joined by Natalie James, founder of sustainable skincare brand helloSKIN, and Lauren O’Donnell, founder of overnight oats brand Oatsu.

Jennifer Bailey, founder and CEO of Salford-based brand Calla Shoes, said: "I am beyond proud of the whole Calla team and the partners that we work with that made my job of pitching our story and successes so much easier.

"I’m completely overwhelmed and surprised as the calibre of the finalists was so good, I would have found it impossible to pick one of us after listening to each of their inspiring stories.

"Calla now has an incredible opportunity to reach millions of homes in the UK with our mission to help all women stand tall and confident in their footwear - I can’t wait to see us on TV in the run-up to Christmas."

Each winner will receive a bespoke TV commercial for their brand along with professional production, and strategic digital marketing support from Constant Contact.

The finalists and judges at the Small Business, Big Break competition

The winners were selected at a special pitch event in London, where eight small businesses - chosen from thousands of entrepreneurs who entered the competition -presented their ideas to a high-profile panel of experts, including former Dragon’s Den investor Piers Linney.

The winning SMEs impressed the judges with their "vision, strategic insight, and readiness to scale nationally".

Nick Archer, Client & Business Development Leader at Channel 4, said: "Television remains one of the most powerful mediums for building brand credibility and reaching vast audiences, making it the perfect stepping stone for our winners to go from strength to strength."

Erika Robinson, UK General Manager at Constant Contact, added: "Small Business, Big Break is about giving our UK entrepreneurs the recognition they deserve and to make a difference to their growth trajectory.

"The quality of pitches we witnessed underscores the incredible innovation within the small business sector. We are proud to award these winning SMEs a chance to escalate their growth through a national TV campaign."