For Immediate Release
March 3, 2021

INDIANAPOLIS—When you have the privilege of a microphone, it’s important to elevate all voices. That’s particularly true for advertising and media professionals who deliver the messages most people consume. Peter Kim, president and chief creative officer at Mortenson Kim Raidious (MKR) marketing agency, is this year’s recipient of the Silver Medal Award from the American Advertising Federation Indianapolis, bestowed for creative excellence and responsibility in areas of social concern.

Kim’s leadership has been honed over his 25 years in the business, spending time at agencies throughout the Midwest and earning accolades from prestigious organizations such as the One Show, Addys and Webbys. His campaigns have been featured in publications like the New York Times, Advertising Age and Adweek.

This past year, amid a US sociopolitical climate unlike any seen in decades, Kim buoyed his agency’s morale and helped his team funnel feelings of hurt, terror and outrage into civic action. In June of 2020, on the heels of George Floyd’s murder, he hosted a company-wide Town Hall to provide a safe space for employees to share their personal experiences with race and racial bias in the advertising industry. Speaking from his personal experience as an underrepresented Asian minority, Kim led a discussion asking MKR to consider its vested interest in diversity, equity, and inclusion—not just as individuals but also as media professionals, tasked with representing the interests of audiences everywhere.

As much of the industry began putting out statements on Black Lives Matter, Kim wanted MKR to be the agency that went a step further by choosing to make tangible contributions to affect change and deepen the agency’s commitment to Indianapolis. This launched several internal and external initiatives:

  • MKR joined Indy Accompliceship, uniting with more than 10 other businesses in an ongoing pledge that furthers their commitment to improving the black community.
  • All MKR employees underwent implicit bias training with Black Onyx Management, with Kim and his executive team training on more equitable and inclusive hiring and management best practices to increase the diversity of candidates and remove biases in hiring.
  • MKR partnered again with Black Onyx Management to offer pro-bono marketing and strategic services through the local storytelling campaign @IndyBlackBusinessesMatter, a collective focused on raising the profile of Black-owned businesses. MKR has now been slated to serve as many as 12 local businesses to help the community thrive, and under Kim’s leadership, MKR plans on expanding our scope to include creative services, free of charge.

“While it is an honor to be recognized for the efforts our team has made over the past year to hear one another better, hear our clients better and create an inclusive environment, my hope is that one day these steps are commonplace in the marketing field,” said Kim. “We are committed to achieving a more equitable setting so that all voices are heard in the media.”

Media Contact:
Michael Krieger, Director, Marketing Analytics & Operations
info@mkragency.com
414.224.0212

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