Black Consumer Research and Advertising Summit

The seventh annual Summit will feature two days of new research findings on African-American consumers from some of the nation’s leading research and marketing firms. Among those making presentations are Arbitron Inc., E. Morris Communications, Ethnic Print Media Group, GlobalHue, Hunter-Miller Group, Johnson Publishing Co., Media Economics Group, Nia Enterprises, Nielsen Media Research, Nsights Worldwide LLC, Scarborough, Target Market News and the U.S. Census Bureau.

”The Summit has become one of the industry’s most anticipated events because it is unique in offering the latest research on the African-American market,” said Ken Smikle, president of Target Market News. “It has become the single best source to gain new information on the growth opportunities black consumers represent to businesses, and to network with those who are successfully tapping into this market.”

Also being presented at this year’s Summit is the first annual Marketing to African-Americans with Excellence (MAAX) Awards. The MAAX Awards program was established to recognize the contributions, innovation and exceptional performance of African-American professionals in the fields of marketing, advertising, media and consumer research. This year’s recipients are:

Marketing Executive of the Year: Jerri DeVard, Senior Vice President Marketing & Brand Management, Verizon;
Media Executive of the Year: Sydney Small, Chairman/CEO, Access.1 Communications; Research Executive of the Year: Ronald Franklin, Executive Vice President - Director of Research, GlobalHue and President of Nsights Worlwide LLC; Advertising Executive of the Year: Renetta McCann, CEO, The Americas, Starcom Mediavest Group; Lifetime Achievement Award: Thomas Burrell, Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Burrell Communications Group.

The MAAX Awards honorees will be feted at a dinner presentation on Thursday, July 6th, 7 pm at the Wyndham Chicago hotel. A limited number of individual tickets will be available for advance purchase for those not attending the Summit.

”It is indeed a privilege to be able to pay special recognition to these African-American professionals for the outstanding work they have performed throughout their careers,” said Ken Smikle. “Their dedication to excellence has profoundly influenced the business environment for African-Americans, and all those in the marketing, media and research fields. We encourage the entire industry to join us in celebrating our honorees’ unique accomplishments in elevating the field of African-American marketing.”

To register for the Black Consumer Research and Advertising Summit, or to purchase tickets to the MAAX Awards dinner, visit www.targetmarketnews.com or call 312-408-1881.