Stellantis taps Black-owned agency to shore up multicultural marketing

Dive Brief:

Stellantis last week (Oct. 14) added boutique marketing and consulting firm Ignition Media Group to its media and marketing agency roster, according to a press release. The agency was founded in 1998 by Dennis Archer, Jr. and is based in Detroit.
Ignition's Soundcheck practice will serve as a "sounding board and multicultural thought partner" that will bolster Stellantis' marketing strategies across its portfolio, with a focus on the company's North America brands including Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep and Ram.
Stellantis' partnership with Black-owned Ignition allows the auto manufacturer to beef up its multicultural marketing amid a push for greater diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the ad world, both internally and externally.

Dive Insight:

Stellantis adding Ignition Media Group to its agency roster speaks to the need for brands to address DEI in both their marketing and their partner companies. The push for greater diversity and inclusion has been a priority for brands and agencies since protests against racist violence kicked off in the summer of 2020. For Stellantis, Ignition and its Soundcheck practice will help provide "more candid assessments" of its consumer-facing work, Marissa Hunter, Stellantis North America's vice president of marketing, said in a press release.

Along with marketing and advertising efforts, the partnership intends to bring Stellantis' talent attraction and philanthropic strategies in line with the evolving needs of the marketplace. Ignition previously helped Stellantis with its DEI strategies and messaging, according to The Detroit News.

"We're there to make sure ... that the messages resonate with as broad of audiences as possible and that consumers feel welcome to the Stellantis brands," Archer told The Detroit News. "Our role is to support the internal infrastructure that they have and to work alongside their external agencies to collectively ensure the messaging is inclusive, effective and still impactful."

With the move, Stellantis becomes the latest automotive brand to beef up its multicultural marketing. Hyundai Motor America in May named Culture Brands, a minority- and female-owned company, as its African American agency of record. Later in May, General Motors held an upfront dedicated to diverse media owners after executives at several Black-owned media companies called out CEO Mary Barra for refusing to meet with them.