Suzuki & The Creative Works Excited about Increasing & Revitalizing Race-Related PR

BREA, Calif., (July 18, 2006) – The Supercross, Motocross and Road Racing Public Relations effort for American Suzuki Motor Corp. (ASMC) is about to increase significantly, according to the Brea, Calif.-based motorcycle and ATV manufacturer.  Effective June 1, 2006, Suzuki and award-winning advertising agency The Creative Works (TCW) joined forces with racing PR consultant Wendy Black to create a broader, more exciting and synergistic PR program for all of ASMC’s race teams.

“I am really excited about working with Suzuki and The Creative Works,” said Black, who’d coordinated the Suzuki factory teams’ PR since 2002.  “Our overall goal is to increase the PR support for the race teams, as well as broaden the range of PR support for the satellite race teams.  Although I’ve worked in a limited way with TCW in the past, this collaboration will take Suzuki’s racing PR to a whole new, exciting level.  I’ll continue to provide PR support for racing and TCW will continue to provide advertising support for racing.  Together, we’ll provide a complementary service that will completely cover Suzuki in regards to race-oriented marketing.”

TCW has been deeply involved with all of the Suzuki race teams for more than 14 years. TCW’s Jake Klingensmith regularly interacts with Team Makita Suzuki Racing and Yoshimura Suzuki, and works closely with the factory off-road team, the factory ATV teams in both MX and GNCC, as well as support MX teams and Suzuki privateers and amateurs.  TCW supplies Suzuki with all photographic images for race team support, and it designs and produces the support materials for all Suzuki race teams.

“Suzuki has been working with Wendy for several years now and we are thrilled that she’ll be joining TCW,” said ASMC Communications Manager Glenn Hansen.  “The TCW staff lives and breathes racing and they design and produce our award-winning race-win advertising on a weekly basis.  Jake at TCW attends a wide variety of race events and provides us and our teams with constant support, ranging from shooting and coordinating photography to rider support.  This partner’s deep roots, experience and enthusiasm in the racing arena will complement Wendy’s race-related PR experience and will enable Suzuki to enhance its coverage and build upon the synergy of their existing race-oriented functions.”

Prior to working with Suzuki’s race teams, Black was an associate editor at Cycle World magazine.  While there, she was responsible for writing and editing feature stories and road tests, as well as overseeing select departments.  Prior to joining Cycle World, Black was the managing editor at Dealernews.  Black’s background also includes newspaper reporting and editing.  She graduated from the University of Tennessee with a B.S. in Communications/Journalism and currently resides in Chattanooga, Tenn.