Chrysler Intros Advertising Campaigns Aimed at the Asian American Market

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 2 -- Chrysler Group announced today the second phase of a pilot advertising campaign in California designed to increase the company's presence among Asian American automotive consumers.

New TV spots and print ads for the 2002 Dodge Caravan minivan will debut February 4 in San Francisco and surrounding areas. The ads are the follow-up to a Chinese language TV and print campaign for the Jeep® Liberty running through March in and around Los Angeles.

The Dodge Caravan ad campaign includes events and promotions similar to those held last year as part of the launch of the Asian American ad campaign for the Jeep Liberty.

``The Asian American market is one of the fastest growing and most affluent in America, especially on the West Coast,'' said Jeff Bell, Chrysler Group vice president of Marketing Communications. ``This pilot ad campaign for the Dodge Caravan and Jeep Liberty will give us a better understanding of Asian American consumers, and position the company to gain share in this important market.''

``We're very excited about Imada Wong's creative for the Dodge Caravan campaign,'' said Julie Roehm, Director, Dodge Communications. ``The ads are true to the Dodge brand and, at the same time, they speak to the unique cultural dynamics of Asian Americans.''

The ads are the work of Imada Wong Communications Group, a full-service marketing communications firm based in Los Angeles that specializes in the growing Asian American market. The firm was founded in 1990 and offers culturally appropriate services in advertising, marketing, public relations, promotions and cross-cultural training.

``Our partnership with Chrysler Group demonstrates the importance of having a fully integrated marketing strategy to reach Asian American consumers,'' said Bill Imada, president of Imada Wong. ``Chrysler Group recognizes that ethnic consumers are now an integral part of America's new general market and is responding accordingly to address them in a culturally relevant manner.''

For the 2002 Jeep Liberty, Imada Wong created a 30-second TV spot in Cantonese and Mandarin (Chinese dialects) titled ``Coffee at Midnight,'' and two print ads running in Chinese language newspapers.

In ``Coffee at Midnight,'' an Asian American couple, wearing pajamas, take a romantic drive through rugged mountains in a Jeep Liberty. After stopping at their destination, the woman asks, ``Is this where you wanted to take me for coffee?'' The man smiles. In the final shot, their Jeep Liberty is shown perched on a mountain ledge beneath a full moon at midnight.

Imada Wong developed two print ads showing a single Jeep Liberty in dramatic outdoor settings.

In ``Waterfall,'' the vehicle is perched on a high rocky cliff. Higher still in the background is a waterfall. The headline is, ``Wherever you go, your universe will follow you.''

In ``Fantasy,'' the Jeep Liberty is on a different mountain ledge. Behind it are thick white clouds and beyond that a series of mountain peaks. The headline is ``Fantasy or reality? Depends on where you go.''

The theme of the campaign is ``Jeep Liberty. Take the American Road.'' The campaign included ads that ran in Chinese language newspapers that offered a free Jeep Liberty-branded bicycle with the purchase of a Jeep Liberty. In November, at the Los Angeles County Fair Grounds, the first-ever Chinese Jeep 101 event was held especially for the Chinese community.

Jeep 101 will also be held at the Asian American Expo in Pomona, Calif., February 3-4.

With offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City, Imada Wong was recently ranked among the Top 10 Asian American advertising firms in the U.S. by Advertising Age magazine.