New $200K YouTube ad campaign from Small Businesses Against Tariffs will microtarget niche online audiences to drive the point home: “With tariffs, the quality of the product falls and the price goes up.”
EMBARGOED FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2026 AT 5 A.M. ET.
WASHINGTON – Wednesday, April 22, 2026 – Today Small Businesses Against Tariffs launched a new $200K YouTube ad campaign to educate Americans about who truly pays the costs of tariffs and trade wars: American small businesses and consumers. This two-week campaign comes as prices continue to shoot up and America’s economic conditions worsen, and as companies and individuals struggle to navigate the administration’s tariff refund process.
The campaign will feature five real business owners who are speaking out against the tariffs:
- Gabe Hagen (AZ), co-founder and CEO of a coffee shop and roasting company that might have to cut back headcount or even close due to the tariffs
- Jennifer Bergman (NY), a toy-store owner in New York City, who was forced to close her doors after 44 years because of the tariffs
- Sari Wiaz (IL), who manufactures and distributes products for babies, and who now has to raise her prices up to 20 percent just to cover the cost of tariffs
- Joann Cartiglia (NY), a doll-maker in upstate New York who can’t afford the parts for her high-quality dolls
- Candy King (VT), who started a wood stove business with her husband 25 years ago, and was hit by a 65 percent tariff
To ensure maximum impact, these ads will be micro-targeted to reach audiences on YouTube channels focusing on like-minded content. For example, the video of Gabe—the coffee shop owner in Arizona—will appear on coffee-focused channels, such as James Hoffmann, who has 2.51 million subscribers. For the children- and parent-focused business owners—Jennifer, Sari, and Joann—we identified channels that young parents may be interested in, or may be watching with their children, such as Ms. Rachel, who has 19.6 million subscribers.
In addition, today we also released a new testimonial video from Boyd Stephenson, owner of a game shop in College Park, MD who is struggling with the economic impact of the tariffs on his business. In his video, Boyd says “with tariffs, the quality of the product falls and the price goes up.” Unlike the other videos listed above, Boyd’s will not be part of the paid ad campaign:
Starting April 29, we will roll out phase two of this campaign: a re-targeting effort to drive the message home among audiences who engaged with the original content the most. Every time a viewer watches one of the original ads to 50 percent completion or more, they will be added to a re-targeting list, and shown this compilation video featuring multiple business owners speaking out against tariffs. The goal here is to keep engaging those people who show an active interest in the tariff issue, to emphasize who ends up paying the costs of tariffs: American small businesses and consumers.
Despite extensive news coverage of trade policy, polling consistently shows that many Americans believe foreign countries pay US tariffs. In reality, tariffs are paid by American importers, and those costs are passed on to businesses and consumers in the form of higher prices. Ultimately, they cause businesses to have to scale back operations, cut staff, or shut down altogether, with devastating consequences for these businesses and the local communities they serve. Small Businesses Against Tariffs will help make this story real for people.
To be connected with the business owners associated with this campaign, please reach out to franquiz@smallbusinessesagainsttariffs.org.
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