Stellantis has announced a new partnership with marketing firm TKT & Associates, representing the car manufacturer’s first time hiring a Black-audience-focused advertising agency of record.
TKT & Associates, a Black-and-woman-owned company based in Louisville, Kentucky, has previously worked with Stellantis on the automaker’s National Black Supplier Development Program. Going forward, the firm’s creative division, TKT Collab, will work with the car manufacturer’s head of merchandising, licensing and multi-cultural marketing, Kim Adams, to diversify the automotive company’s advertising campaigns in North America. The partnership will cover the Alfa Rome, Chrysler, Dodge, FIAT, Jeep and Ram trademarks.
TKT Collab is not “your average marketing firm” according to CEO and chief strategy officer Kimberly L. Bunton. Rather, the company is “a creative studio specializing in inclusive culture-bending strategies.” Bunton also expressed excitement over the new partnership. “Stellantis is an excellent collaborative and supportive partner with amazing possibilities. We look forward to working with them to create meaningful, lasting campaigns that resonate with the Black community.”
In recent years, the automotive industry has ramped up efforts to diversify its workforce and reach a wider audience of consumers. This undertaking is also reflected on the retail side, with organizations such as the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers (NAMAD) working with automakers to place more minority dealers in charge of franchised locations in the U.S. Stellantis’s partnership with TKT & Associates and TKT Collab is one of the more significant pushes to reach Black audiences in North America to be made by an overseas company.