• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, May 10, 2007

A dealership in Michigan that bills itself as the largest for Chrysler Jeep in the country is finding success with a local Arabic-language ad campaign in an area with a significant Arab-American population.

Southfield Chrysler Jeep is using local cable avails and MBN, a Middle Eastern network offered on Comcast, along with radio and the Internet to target residents that speak Arabic. In 2003, the Census Bureau estimated that 115,000 Arabs were living in Michigan; the Detroit suburb of Dearborn had 29,181 (30% of its population). That's second only to New York, which has a larger population.

The spots resemble the type of creative local dealerships have employed for years, with a charismatic personality touting the car while standing in front of them. In this case, it's Toni Anttwan, the leading salesperson, who urges consumers in Arabic to "Talk to Toni" with a phone number superimposed on screen.

Anttwan has sold more than 30 cars a month since the campaign debuted--likely appealing to local members of the Arab-speaking community, the dealership said. "We are excited with the positive response to the "Talk to Toni" ad campaign," says Paul Steel, the general manager. "Market-specific advertising has been very successful for our dealerships."

MBN is a 24-hour network targeting Americans of Middle Eastern descent available on satellite and Comcast cable in Metro Detroit. Advertisers include Ford, Pepsi and Chrysler competitor GM, the network said.

The Southfield dealership isn't the only Chrysler marketer to try ethnic marketing to lure customers. The national company launched a campaign last fall in Mandarin and Korean in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.