THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 8, 1994 TAG: 9411080319
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY GREG GOLDFARB, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
Automobile dealer Peggy Kimnach was honored Monday night for her company's innovative television marketing campaign that highlights America's multicultural population.
Kimnach Ford received an Ethnic Awareness Recognition award from the Minority Round Table of Hampton Roads, a 40-member volunteer human rights group formed about two years ago to foster better communication and positive relations between the region's various ethnic communities.
The inaugural award honors a series of five television ads from a $250,000 advertising effort launched by Kimnach last May.
Seen only in Hampton Roads, the 30-second commercials air an average of 20 to 25 times a week, said E.W. Riddick, Kimnach Ford's vice president and general manager. There are no similar print or radio ads.
Titled ``All-American Cars for All-American People,'' the spots feature people Riddick describes as, ``a Native American man, an Asian-American woman, an African-American man, a Caucasian man and a Hispanic woman.'' Standing in front of a big American flag, each one extols the virtues of being an ``American.''
Riddick said he is surprised the ads were noticed by the roundtable over ``all the high-dollar commercials in the market.'' He also knows through experience that many good ads run the risk of offending some people.
``Certainly. You get that anytime you do anything,'' he said.
Riddick said he has fielded a few complaints that the commercials exploit ethnic groups to sell cars. More abundant, however, was the positive feedback, and he makes no apologies for the commercial's content, or patriotic theme.
``We wanted something that shows red, white and blue,'' said Riddick. ``We were looking to make a statement. We're not afraid to put somebody up there other than your Caucasian-looking American.''
Plans are under way for some new commercials to begin airing around Christmas, Riddick said, including some featuring three or five of the characters together, and some with new characters.
Maxwell Donour Advertising in Virginia Beach, in conjunction with Kimnach Ford, created the campaign. ILLUSTRATION: FILE PHOTO/
Peggy Kimnach is the first recipient of the Ethnic Awareness
Recognition award from the Minority Round Table of Hampton Roads.
by CNB