Multicultural Articles

Puget Sound Energy Awarded National New Marketer Of The Year At Asian American Advertising Federation Marketing Summit

Fri, 18 May 2012 19:34:00 GMT

Seattle, May 18, 2012 - Puget Sound Energy (PSE) was recognized at the Asian American Advertising Federation (3AF) Creative Excellence Awards on May 16. As the leading supplier of energy to the Puget Sound region of Western Washington for more than 135 years, they introduced a series of Asian and other multi-ethnic marketing campaigns in 2011 that earned them the New Marketer of the Year Award.

3AF is a non-for-profit trade organization comprised of Asian American advertising agencies, market advertisers, media companies and other industry specialists.

A panel of 3AF judges selected the New Marketer of the Year. The national award is given to companies that are newly entering into the Asian advertising industry. The criteria used for award selection included successfully championing Asian American marketing initiatives through corporate infrastructure, demonstrating collaboration with community partners and generating a positive, long-term impact and commitment.

"We all know we need to do our part to save resources and conserve energy, but the fact that a company would reach out to Asian Americans with a comprehensive and targeted campaign really impressed the judges," said 3AF Executive Director Genny Hom-Franzen.

2010 US Census data indicated a significant increase of ethnic customers residing in PSE's service territory. PSE recognized the need for Asian American and multicultural outreach and executed two campaigns called "Rock the Bulb: The Re-Energize Tour" and "Holiday Ethnic Engagement Re-Energize Tour" which included market research, advertising, PR and product distribution targeted to Asian and other ethnic customers.

PSE partnered with T.D. Wang Advertising Group to plan and execute these campaigns.

"We are so proud to be honored by the 3AF for our work with our Asian American customers. We loved bringing our save money, save energy message to this target market in a way that made them a closer member of the PSE family," said Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer Phil Bussey.

About Puget Sound Energy
Washington state's oldest local energy utility, Puget Sound Energy serves 1.1 million electric customers and more than 750,000 natural gas customers in 11 counties. A subsidiary of Puget Energy, PSE meets the energy needs of its customers, in part, through cost-effective energy efficiency, procurement of sustainable energy resources, and far-sighted investment in the energy-delivery infrastructure. PSE employees are dedicated to providing great customer service that is safe, dependable and efficient. For more information, visit www.PSE.com.

Media Contacts:
Paul Boupha
T.D. Wang Advertising Group
206.504.0818
paul.boupha@tdwang.com

MacKenzie McDowell
Puget Sound Energy
1.888.831.7250
PSENewsroom@pse.com

Asian American Advertising Federation (3AF) Announces 2012 Creative Excellence Awards Winners

Thu, 17 May 2012 14:47:00 GMT

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA--May 17, 2012--The Asian American Advertising Federation (3AF) announced today the winners from last night's 2012 3AF Creative Excellence Awards event. The awards were given out at the organization's annual conference, the 3AF 2012 Asian Marketing Summit, which was held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

First place, or the gold award, went to Admerasia for their work on Nissan. Silver, or second place, went to ES Advertising for their campaign for Time Warner Cable. San Francisco-based advertising agency DAE won third place (bronze) for their campaign for Wells Fargo.

Verizon Wireless was named as the 3AF's 2012 Marketer of the Year, while Puget Sound Energy took home honors for 3AF 2012 New Marketer of the Year. In addition, Nielsen was named as the 3AF's 2012 Marketing Research Partner of the Year. KTSF-TV in the Bay Area was named as the 2012 3AF Media Partner of the Year.

Nita Song, President of the 3AF said, "'This conference brings together our industry's leading experts. One of the highlights is the 3AF awards, where we recognize and showcase the best in our business, and each year the competition continues to raise the standards of excellence. The 3AF congratulates the 2012 awardees."

The 3AF's annual conference is the country's largest event devoted solely to the Asian American advertising and marketing industries. Conference topics this year included a multicultural marketing insights presentation by Nielsen; the future of marketing and what it means; a research presentation on ethno-dynamics by Yahoo!, reaching Asian consumers in the digital age; case studies by Coca-Cola and Toyota; growth opportunities in Asian marketing in Canada; the role of Asians in public policy and the upcoming election; the Asian automotive market and monetizing the Asian American sports fan. The awards event featured a special live performance by the Asian pop girl band Blush.
The conference began with an optional "Asian Boot Camp," for marketers new to Asian advertising or for those who wanted a refresher course on the basics of Asian marketing.

Sponsors of the conference included Nielsen, Mnet, Sony, MYX, industry partners: the Advertising Educational Foundation and the Association of National Advertisers, and 14 media sponsors.

The Asian American Advertising Federation (3AF) is a national trade organization comprised of Asian American advertising agencies, Asian market advertisers, Asian media companies and other industry specialists. Its mission is to grow the Asian American advertising and marketing industry, raise public awareness of the importance of the Asian American community and further professionalism in the industry. More information about the 3AF is available at www.3af.org.

Contact:
Genny Hom-Franzen
ghomfranzen@3af.org

Industry Leader, Wayne Kinch, Joins Ethnic Technologies (E-Tech)

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:48:00 GMT

May 16, 2012-- S. Hackensack, NJ-- Ethnic Technologies (E-Tech) is pleased to announce that Mr. Wayne Kinch has joined the company. In this new position, as Senior Consultant, Wayne will play a critical role in new client expansion and new product offerings for enhancement, social media, digital and other key markets. Prior to joining Ethnic Technologies, Wayne was Group VP Sales for Euro RSCG Discovery's American Student List business unit. Prior to his Euro RSCG assignment, Wayne was an Enterprise Sales Leader at Experian Information Solutions, Inc and a Group Sales Leader at Acxiom Corporation.

"Wayne's vision of Customer Relationship Management (CRM), new technologies and the data industry, complements the philosophies that drive E-Tech's business success," said Candace Kennedy, Director of Sales and Marketing. "We are excited to have such a well-respected industry innovator join us. His knowledge and experience will help us capitalize on our current growth as well as shape the future of ethnic marketing and analytics."

Wayne has extensive experience in direct marketing, database marketing and new customer development. He founded National Demographic Research Corporation and Data Publications and has authored numerous publications. He has worked in product research, sales and account management for Euro RSCG, Acxiom and Experian. His expertise includes business development, new product introduction and training.

"I've always respected E-Tech's thought leadership and forward thinking strategies that enable superior ethnic data solutions and provide overwhelmingly positive results for its clients," Wayne stated. "When the opportunity to join forces with the recognized leader in the ethnic marketing industry arose, I knew it would be the perfect fit for me. I've witnessed E-Tech's transformation from not just an industry leader in traditional direct marketing, but also a dominating force in digital and social media advertising applications. With E-Tech's NO RISK testing, the focus is always on a solid value proposition and positive results for its clients."

About Ethnic Technologies, LLC (E-Tech)
Ethnic Technologies, LLC is the platinum standard in multicultural marketing. The result of over 40 years of continuous ethnic, religious and language preference research, E-Tech allows clients to segment their databases by ethnicity, religion, language preference, Hispanic country of origin, degree of Assimilation and gender more accurately and comprehensively than any other approach. The EthniCenter® offers an Assimilation Index, which distinguishes Hispanic and Asian individuals based on their degree of Assimilation, including their ability to speak their Native Language or understand the language in their prevailing culture. E-Tech incorporates a unique approach for the different Hispanic Countries of Origin. After identifying their specific names, E-Tech does a neighborhood analysis using multi-sourced information compiled from our research team. The analytics department at E-TECH offers ethnic data appending services and mapping to provide businesses with an overview of new and existing markets.

With the recent release of our new E-Tech 8.0 Ethnic Encoding software and the release of G-Tech 3.2 Gender Encoding software, 2012 could not be a more exciting year for Ethnic Technologies and our Partners. The research, time and effort put into these developments assures you that E-Tech 8.0 and G-Tech 3.2 are absolutely the most accurate products in the marketplace to reach multicultural markets and gain valuable new customers.

Multicultural Marketing and Ethnicity is our passion and we look forward to helping all of our clients and partners achieve the results they expect from the Global Leaders in Ethnic Data Enhancements. www.ethnictechnologies.com.

Contact:
Candace Kennedy, Ethnic Technologies, LLC.
(201) 440-8923 ext. 106

E-Tech is registered trademark of Ethnic Technologies, LLC

2012 Mosaic Awards Call for Entries! Deadline July 2 - Diversity Achievement and Mosaic Awards & Forum

Mon, 14 May 2012 17:43:00 GMT

The AAF hosted its first Mosaic Awards & Forum program in 2001 to recognize successful multicultural marketing and diversity efforts. In 2004, the AAF and its District Two joined forces to host the Diversity Achievement and Mosaic Awards & Forum during Advertising Week New York. The partnership has proven to be very successful and the Diversity Achievement and Mosaic Awards & Forum has established itself as Advertising Week New York's premier diversity and multicultural event.

The American Advertising Federation's (AAF) Mosaic Awards celebrates companies that have demonstrated the success of their multicultural marketing and diversity efforts within the advertising industry. Awards are presented in the following categories:
* Workforce Diversity
* Multiethnic Talent in Advertising
* Multiethnic Ad Campaign
* Multiethnic Media Usage
* Multiethnic Supplier Partner
* Multiethnic Student Diversity Programs
* Multiethnic Interactive Media

Enter Your Work Today! Mosaic Awards Entry Deadline: July 2, 2012.

Click here to download the 2012 Mosaic Awards Entry Kit >>

Mosaic Award recipients will be honored at the 2012 Diversity Achievement and Mosaic Awards & Forum on October 2, 2012, at The Hilton New York. The Mosaic Awards are held in conjunction with AAF's District Two Diversity Achievement Awards during Advertising Week in New York.

For more information on categories, criteria and past recipients, visit www.aaf.org/MosaicAwards or contact Bruce Ford at bford@aaf.org.

For information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact Connie Frazier at cfrazier@aaf.org.

For information on the Diversity Achievement Awards, click here or contact Pat Martin
at 212-644-0790.

The Asian American Advertising Federation's Annual Conference, May 16-17, 2012

Thu, 10 May 2012 19:27:00 GMT

The Asian American Advertising Federation (3AF) proudly presents its annual gathering of marketers, agencies, media and industry leaders for a deep dive into the latest and greatest in Asian marketing and advertising. If you want to tap into this important segment, this is the conference for you!

Prior to the conference, the 3AF will present a mini "boot camp" designed specifically for new marketers or for those who want a refresher on the critical basics of Asian marketing. The 3AF Asian Boot Camp will be held on May 15. Conference highlights include: Asian Mommy Bloggers; case studies by client marketers; Asians and the political process; Savvy Media Strategies and the 2012 3AF Creative Excellence Awards, honoring marketers and advertising agencies.

Questions? Contact Genny Hom-Franzen, 3AF Executive Director, at ghomfranzen@3af.org. More information on the conference and boot camp, including a registration link and sponsorship opportunities will be posted soon at www.3af.org.

Insights Marketing Group (IMG) Introduces HISPANnovation - Meaningful innovation

Thu, 10 May 2012 19:23:00 GMT

Hispannovation® enables companies to develop highly effective product innovation strategies and pipelines - for products, services and communications - specifically for their Hispanic consumers. Using Hispannovation®, your team will dramatically improve its chances for success when it needs to:

- Grow share in the Hispanic market
- Turn around an existing brand in decline
- Disrupt a current or new market
- Optimize your customer's experience

Using our proven suite of creative Hispannovation® tools, one of our financial services clients developed 250 brand new ideas, whittled that down to twelve concepts, and then optimized and launched seven inspired new services for their Hispanic customers.

SCOPE the project

    Stakeholders
    Goals
    Watch-Outs

TRIGGER the opportunity

    Consumer Immersion
    Consumer Understanding
    Fresh Insights

AD-LIB new ideas

    Innovation Platforms for NPD and Comms
    Concept Development

REFINE the proposition

    Experience & Evaluation
    Proposition Crafting
    Optimization

STRATEGIZE and launch

    Communications Concepts
    Packaging Concepts
    Naming

With every Hispannovation® project, our five-step process inspires new thinking, uncovers fresh insights, identifies unmet needs, develops and optimizes new product concepts, packaging and communications. All of which helps you achieve maximum speed to market with the right products for the growing Hispanic market Insights Marketing Group has helped blue-chip brands better understand their Hispanic customers for over 20 years. Our bilingual, bicultural staff have worked on the client, agency and supplier sides and are trained in facilitation, creative problem solving and innovation by the Creative Problem Solving Institute, the Center for Creative Leadership and Leadership Strategies.

Visit http://www.insights-marketing.com/services.php?sID=15.

Top Reasons Why You Can't Afford to Miss this Year's Summit!: Hispanic Retail 360 Summit 2012, August 15-17

Thu, 10 May 2012 19:20:00 GMT

Leading marketing experts, retailers and suppliers will be at the 8th Annual Hispanic Retail 360 Summit on August 15-17, at JW Marriott at LA Live, Los Angeles. You need to be there too! Hispanic Retail 360 Summit is a three-day event for retailers and marketers who want to learn how to tap into the $1 trillion Hispanic market and grow their business.

See complete program and event information at http://www.hispanicretail360.com.

Visit http://www.hispanicretail360.com.

Hispanic Retail 360 Summit is the premier cross-channel event that focuses on retailing to the growing Latino market. The conference and exposition is aimed at helping retailers maximize their business with the growing Hispanic market in the U.S. While the Hispanic consumer market represents a significant growth opportunity for both retailers and suppliers, it is also one of the most complex markets for researchers, marketers, buyers and sales professionals to understand. Hispanic Retail 360 is the only conference designed to help retailers target, segment, and execute merchandising and marketing plans effectively to Latino shoppers.

The Hispanic Retail 360 Summit invites top retailers, suppliers, and Latino marketing experts to share their thoughts, insights, and feedback with one another. Topics on marketing to Hispanics will include consumer interests/trends, food merchandising, department store merchandising, specialty retailers, and many others.

Hispanic Retail 360 is produced by Stagnito Media and its market leading brands, Progressive Grocer and Convenience Store News.

Hispanic retail strategy is only possible because of people who offer their ongoing commitment and service to the Hispanic and Latino retail marketing industry. These are the people of the Hispanic Marketing Conference Advisory Board. Members of the Board provide Hispanic retail strategy suggestions and feedback throughout the year, all to help make the Hispanic Retail 360 Summit a success time and time again.

Visit http://www.hispanicretail360.com.

Ethnic Technologies, LLC Celebrates Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month

Thu, 03 May 2012 16:28:00 GMT

In 1763 a small group of Filipinos deserted a Spanish ship in New Orleans and established the first Filipino, Asian Pacific community in the U.S.A. on a Louisiana bayou. The term Asian-Pacific encompasses the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island). These groups, as of July, 2011, numbered over seventeen million individuals (over five percent of the U.S. population.)

Asian-Pacific Heritage Month originated in a congressional bill. In June 1977, Representatives Frank Horton of New York and Norman Y. Mineta of California introduced a House resolution that called upon the president to proclaim the first ten days of May as Asian-Pacific Heritage Week. The following month, Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga introduced a similar bill in the Senate. Both were passed. On October 5, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed a Joint Resolution designating the annual celebration. Twelve years later, President George H.W. Bush signed an extension making the week-long celebration into a month-long celebration. The official designation of May as Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month was signed into law in 1992.

The month of May was chosen in order to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad (after Chinese immigrants laid down tracks through the Sierra Nevada Mountains) on May 10, 1869.

Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month is celebrated with community festivals that include parades and cultural performances. Although there is no one Asian cuisine, such traditional foods such as Indian curries, peanut and coconut mixtures of the tropical Southeast, barbecued beef of Central Asian steppes, and kaldereta stew of the Philippines are available. These are all very different yet uniquely Asian-Pacific. All events encourage the sharing of cultural diversity while promoting group unity.

Most heritage months highlight a specific group and the individuals and events that shape its American experience. Asian-Pacific American Heritage month unites multiple populations each with its own unique history and renowned personalities. Notables include Dalip Singh Saund, the first Asian elected to Congress, Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first Asian-American congresswoman, I.M Pei, architect and winner of the Pritzker Prize, Ellison Onizuka, astronaut, Levi Celireo, composer, Alex Tizo, Pulitzer Prize Winner and Vincent Chin whose murder, in 1982, is considered the beginning of the pan-ethnic Asian- American movement.

May salutes the many generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America's history and cultural landscape and will continue to play an important role in its future.

Why Multi-Cultural - Ethnic Marketing? Why Now?
The 2010 US Census Bureau drew attention to ethnic groups by allocating the majority (estimated $145 million) of its $300 million budget to multicultural audiences. For the first time, the census website was available in a bilingual format English/Spanish and included guides in 59 other languages. Because of the dramatic growth the census showed, multicultural experts expect marketing geared towards them to increase as companies become more aware of the economic opportunities and clout of targeting these various ethnic segments. As marketers we need to be prepared for the increased interest in these fast growing segments of the American Population.

Ethnic Technologies, LLC - Asian Insight

Ethnic Technologies, LLC is the Platinum standard in multicultural marketing. The result of over 40 years of continuous ethnic, religious and language preference research, E-Tech allows clients to segment their database by ethnicity, religion, language preference and Hispanic country of origin more accurately and comprehensively than any other approach. The EthniCenter® offers an Assimilation Index, which distinguishes Asian individuals based on their ability to speak their Native Language or understand the language of their prevailing culture. E-Tech 8.0 incorporates a unique approach for the different Asian cultures. After identifying their specific names E-Tech 8.0 does a neighborhood analysis using multi-sourced information compiled from our research team here. From that data E-Tech is able to accurately identify the Asian individuals' ethnicity, language preference and assimilation index. The name John Lee, for example could be Chinese, Korean, African American, or a number of other ethnicities. By using this neighborhood analysis E-Tech can accurately identify his ethnicity from the over 170 different selections available.

Contact Candace M. Kennedy, Sales and Marketing Director at 866-333-8324 ext. 106 or candace@ethnictechnologies.com. Visit www.ethnictechnologies.com

E-Tech ® and The EthniCenter ® are registered trademarks of Ethnic Technologies, LLC

Call for Entries: NAMIC's Excellence in Multi-cultural Marketing Awards (EMMA), Deadline June 8th

Thu, 03 May 2012 16:15:00 GMT

2012 Excellence in Multi-Cultural Marketing Awards (EMMA)
A Class Of It’s Own In Cable Marketing...

The NAMIC EMMA recognizes the top marketing tactics and case studies targeted to multi-cultural audiences.

Be recognized for your innovative multi-cultural marketing efforts! How well did your last multi-cultural marketing campaign impact your bottom line? Don’t miss your opportunity to share your successes and be recognized for your results. A judging panel of industry experts will review all entries and select winners.

Entry deadline: Friday, June 8, 2012 by 11:59 pm EDT.

Winners will be acknowledged at the 26th Annual NAMIC Conference, scheduled for September 11-12 during Diversity Week, at the Hilton New York.

Select winning entries will be profiled in CableFAX: The Magazine. Winners will also be recognized on the winners section of this site, namic.com and NAMIC’s DiversityLive, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter sites. Be sure to check out last year’s winners in the “2011 Winners” tab.

Getting started is easy; simply click on “Enter Competition” tab to begin. Good luck!

May 2012: Kang & Lee Advertising Honors Asian & Pacific Heritage

Wed, 02 May 2012 13:52:00 GMT

Both in the U.S. and Canada, the Month of May is Federally Designated to Celebrate the Heritage and Contributions of Asian and Pacific Individuals and Communities

New York City, May 2, 2012 - Kang & Lee Advertising kicks off the month of May by honoring and celebrating the heritage and contributions of Asian and Pacific Americans and Canadians. In both the United States and Canada, these communities continue to shape North American society and culture in a myriad of vital ways.

"In May we celebrate the diversity that people of Asian and Pacific heritage bring to our cultural mosaic," said Cynthia Park, President of K&L Advertising, the leading multicultural marketing, consulting and communications agency specializing in reaching Asian consumers across North America. "People of Asian and Pacific origin and heritage make every-day contributions within diverse spheres of life including education, business, science, sports, politics, and entertainment - thereby shaping the cultural, social, and commercial life of our national communities." added Park.
In the last decade, marketers both in the U.S. and in Canada have realized the importance of Asian and Pacific communities within the consumer landscape. Marketing activity has continued to grow dramatically, reflecting the exploding interest within corporations in multicultural marketing.

"Consumers of Asian and Pacific heritage offer new business growth opportunities for marketers in many regions of the US and Canada where these populations have already achieved a critical mass." said Saul Gitlin, EVP, Strategic Services at K&L Advertising. "The unusually attractive demographic characteristics of Asian and Pacific multicultural consumers, their noteworthy annual buying power ($509 billion in the USA alone!), their brand loyalty, and the accelerated growth and sophistication of media directly reaching these groups across North America, are driving a new level of corporate attention to this marketplace - both north and south of the US-Canadian border," Gitlin noted.

In the United States, Asians account for approximately 5% of the national population and are comprised of more than 20 distinct ethnic sub-segments. However, six ethnic segments alone - Chinese, Asian Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese - comprise almost 90% of the total. Half of all Asian Americans reside in key metro areas in just three states: California, New York and Texas. Other key population centers include Chicago, Boston, Washington DC, Seattle, Honolulu, and Atlanta, to name a few.

In 1978, the United States federal government first mandated special recognition of Asian and Pacific American Heritage to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of these populations within the country. Originally founded as a week-long event, it was later expanded to a month long celebration which, among other activities, honored important anniversaries in American history including the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to America on May 7, 1843, and the completion of the transcontinental railroad, which many Chinese laborers helped build, on May 10, 1869.

In Canada, 'visible minorities' comprise more than 16% of the national population, with two Asian groups alone - South Asians and Chinese - accounting for almost half of the total. Furthermore, these groups are tightly concentrated in Ontario, British Columbia, and just a few other provinces. Other sizeable Asian communities in Canada include Filipinos, Southeast Asians, Koreans, and Vietnamese, among others. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the national government's declaration designating May as Asian Heritage Month.

"Just as in the U.S., the month of May is a time to acknowledge the contributions of Canadians of Asian heritage to the growth and prosperity of the country," Gitlin added.

About Kang & Lee Advertising
K&L Advertising is the leading multicultural marketing consulting and communications agency specializing in reaching Asian multicultural consumers across North America - ranked #1 Asian multicultural agency by Advertising Age Magazine in April 2012. K&L is also an emerging leader in Asian marketing in Canada. With offices in New York City and Toronto, K&L services a wide range of blue-chip clients in diverse product categories.

Contacts:
Lisa Skriloff; Yartish Bullock-Okeke
Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc.
212-242-3351
lisa@multicultural.com; yartish@multicultural.com

Saul Gitlin
EVP, Strategic Services
K&L Advertising
212-375-8130
Saul.Gitlin@kanglee.com

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: Spotlight on Chinese Language Program at Shuang Wen Academy Network (SWAN)

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:48:00 GMT

April 30, 2012 - New York, NY - Shuang Wen Academy Network (SWAN), the summer and after-school Mandarin language immersion program in Manhattan, celebrates the diversity, rich culture and contributions of the Asian and Pacific Islander communities during May which is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. SWAN located in NYC on the Lower East Side helps students from varied social, economic and ethnic backgrounds develop proficiency in Mandarin and acquire a greater understanding of Chinese culture. As part of this year's celebrations, the organization will hold a Cultural Fair on May 24 at PS184M in Lower Manhattan open to students and parents.

SWAN's mission is to raise awareness of Chinese culture and language by providing a Mandarin immersion after-school program at PS184M as well as operating its summer program open to all Pre-K to 7th grade children from all 5 boroughs, NJ, PA and CT. SWAN's immersion programs offer a strong balance of academics and cultural learning, as well as a variety of sports activities.

Founded in 1996 by a group of education, civic and business leaders from the Chinese American community, the SWAN Board helped the NYC Board of Education (now the Department of Education) establish the Shuang Wen School, Public School 184M, in 1998 as the first dual-language public school.

Nora Chang Wang, SWAN's Board Chair said: "SWAN pays tribute to the contributions of generations of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have enriched our history. We always take pride in our Mandarin language and culture instruction to raise awareness of the Asian American culture, tradition and history," she added.

Today, SWAN works with an average of 630 students from pre-kindergarten to 8th grade. Upon graduating from SWAN's middle school program, the average SAT II Mandarin score of a SWAN student is 620/800. These standards have helped set SWAN apart as the leading educational institution among New York City's Mandarin language programs.

Every day SWAN students not only acquire a new language skill but also have the unique opportunity to learn about the cultural heritage of China, the inventors of the compass, kite and silk, the significance of Chinese New Year and the importance and meaning of traditional Chinese food such as dumplings, Chinese Opera and the fan dance.

SWAN's Cultural Fair on May 24, 2012 at PS184M is open to students and parents and is sponsored by Taipei Economic Cultural Office. Professional Chinese artists from Taiwan will share their art work of dough figurines in Chinese folk art, Chinese calligraphy in scroll painting, and Chinese crafts and traditional toys with students. By arranging such interactive and educational events, SWAN continues to raise awareness of the Chinese culture through innovative approaches.

About Shuang Wen Academy Network (SWAN):
Founded in 1996, the mission of SWAN is to develop proficiency in Mandarin Chinese language and awareness of Chinese culture in individuals, preparing them as global citizens in an increasingly competitive and demanding international environment. The organization operates an everyday after-school program during the school year and since its inception, has been giving students an opportunity to master Mandarin. SWAN is a community based 501-(C) 3 not-for-profit organization. Visit www.swan-nyc.org.

Contacts:
Agata Porter, Account Executive, agata@multicultural.com
Lisa Skriloff, President, lisa@multicultural.com
Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc.
212-242-3351

Kang & Lee Advertising Ranked #1 Asian Multicultural Agency by Advertising Age Magazine

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:46:00 GMT

New York City, April 30, 2012 - The leading trade publication, Advertising Age, has once again ranked Kang & Lee Advertising as the #1 Asian Multicultural Agency in the United States. The ranking was announced in the magazine's 68th Annual Agency Report issued today. Led by an executive management team including Cynthia Park, President, and Saul Gitlin, EVP, Strategic Services, K&L has been at the forefront of the Asian multicultural marketing and communications industry since the agency's founding in 1985.

"Once again, we would like to thank Advertising Age for its recognition of our role in bringing corporate attention to Asian multicultural consumers" said Cynthia Park, President, K&L Advertising.

Saul Gitlin, EVP, Strategic Services added, "For 27 years, our primary goal has been to educate brands about the bottom-line value of marketing to Asian multicultural consumers. On behalf of our clients, we strive for the highest degree of excellence to deliver the most effective, culturally relevant communications."

About Kang & Lee Advertising
K&L Advertising specializes in reaching Asian multicultural consumers across North America. With offices in New York City and Toronto, Kang & Lee services a wide range of blue-chip clients in diverse product categories.

To learn more about K&L and the Asian multicultural marketplace, please visit www.kanglee.com.

Contacts:
Lisa Skriloff; Yartish Bullock-Okeke
Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc.
212-242-3351
lisa@multicultural.com; yartish@multicultural.com

Saul Gitlin
EVP, Strategic Services
K&L Advertising
212-375-8130
Saul.Gitlin@kanglee.com

National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) Region 2 "Our Voice, Our Time" Conference, May 4-5, New York, NY

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:47:00 GMT

Scroll down for Spanish version
Mire abajo para leer la versión en español

NEW YORK, N.Y. (April 20, 2012) - If you are a journalist and live in the New York tri-state area, then this conference is for you! On May 4th and 5th the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) Region 2 will hold its educational and networking conference. This conference will enlighten, educate and shape you on topics geared to what is going on today with Latinos and journalists.

Join us on Friday, May 4th at the CBS News headquarters for the opening ceremony from 5:00pm-9:00pm presided over by NAHJ founding member and former Association President, Juan Gonzalez. The award-winning New York Daily News columnist will speak about his new book "News for All the People: The Epic Story of Peace and The American Media", which examines the history of people of color and journalism in the United States.

You won't want to miss the stellar line-up of workshops and panel discussions we have planned for you on Saturday, May 5th from 8:00am-6:00pm, at the Lehman College Multimedia Center. Topics include: How to get the most out of social media, the role that Latinos play in politics in this year's presidential elections, how Latinos view immigration, the current state of the media and minorities, and much more. Among the confirmed speakers on Saturday: Chris Pena, NBC Latino; Court Passant, CBS News Interactive; Maria Alcon, NBC Latino; Sarael Martinez, CBS News; Tanzina Vega, NYTimes; Sandra Lily, NBC Latino; Brooke Camp, CNN; Juan Manuel Benitez, NY1 Noticias; Maritza Puello, NY1 Noticias; Ivette Davila-Richard, CBS Newspath; Geraldine Cols Azócar, News 12 En Español; Mo Krochmal, Social Media News NY.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will host a luncheon and panel discussion, "Reflection in the Mirror: Latino leaders inspire young Hispanics to see themselves in health and health careers" moderated by Anne Harding, a freelance health reporter.

About the Conference:
Registration - $25 for students, $50 for NAHJ members and $150 for non NAHJ members. Pre-register by May 3 at: Region 2 Conference Registration
Our sponsors: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Lehman College, CBS News, and United Airlines, official airline of NAHJ special events

About NAHJ:
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) is dedicated to the recognition and professional advancement of Hispanics in the news industry. Established in April 1984, NAHJ created a national voice and unified vision for all Hispanic journalists. NAHJ is governed by an 18-member board of directors that consists of executive officers and regional directors who represent geographic areas of the United States and the Caribbean. The national office is located in Washington, D.C. NAHJ has approximately 1,500 members, including working journalists, journalism students, other media-related professionals and journalism educators.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Anna Lopez
Interim Executive Director
Phone: 202-662-7145
alopez@nahj.org

Ivette Davila- Richards
Region 2 Director
Phone: 347-661-2021
nahjregion2@gmail.com

*********************************************************************************************************************
La Asociación Nacional de Periodistas Hispanos (NAHJ) Región 2
Conferencia "Our Voice, Our Time", 4-5 de Mayo, New York, NY

NEW YORK, N.Y. (20 de abril, 2012) - ¡Sí eres periodista y vives en el área tri estatal de Nueva York esta conferencia es para ti! El 4 y 5 de mayo La Asociación Nacional de Periodistas Hispanos (NAHJ) Región 2, tendrá su conferencia educacional que también es una buena oportunidad para establecer contactos. Esta conferencia te iluminará, educará e informará sobre lo que está pasando actualmente en el mundo del periodismo latino.

Acompáñanos el viernes, 4 de mayo, en la sede de CBS News para la ceremonia de apertura que será presidida por el fundador de NAHJ y ex presidente Juan González, desde las 5:00pm hasta las 9:00pm. El galardonado columnista del New York Daily News hablará sobre su nuevo libro en inglés "News For All The People: The Epic Story of Peace and The American Media", el cual examina la historia de la gente de color y el periodismo en los Estados Unidos.
No te pierdas los talleres y discusiones que hemos preparamos para el sábado 5 de mayo, desde las 8:00am hasta las 6:00pm, en el Multimedia Center de Lehman College, en el Bronx. En la conferencia discutiremos temas como las mejores prácticas de las redes sociales, el rol que los latinos tienen en las elecciones presidenciales, como los hispanos ven el asunto de inmigración, el estado actual de los medios de comunicación y muchos más. Aquí están algunos de los panelistas que ya confirmaron su asistencia: Chris Pena, NBC Latino; Court Passant, CBS News Interactive; Maria Alcon, NBC Latino; Sarael Martinez, CBS News; Tanzina Vega, NYTimes; Sandra Lily, NBC Latino; Brooke Camp, CNN; Juan Manuel Benitez, NY1 Noticias; Maritza Puello, NY1 Noticias; Ivette Davila-Richard, CBS Newspath; Geraldine Cols Azócar, News 12 En Español; Mo Krochmal, Social Media News NY.

También tendremos un almuerzo patrocinado por la Fundación Robert Wood Johnson donde se tendrá el panel de salud "Reflection in the Mirror: Latino leaders inspire young Hispanics to see themselves in health and health careers" el cual será liderado por reportera de salud, Anne Harding.

Acerca de la conferencia:
Inscripción para la conferencia: $25 por estudiantes, $50 para miembros de NAHJ y $150 para no miembros de NAHJ. (Pre-inscripción hasta el 3 de mayo)
Nuestros patrocinadores incluyen, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Lehman College, CBS News, y United Airlines, la aerolínea oficial de los eventos especiales de NAHJ.

Acerca de NAHJ:
La Asociación Nacional de Periodistas Hispanos (NAHJ) está dedicada a reconocer y ayudar al avance profesional de los hispanos que trabajar en los medios de comunicación. Establecida en 1984, NAHJ creó una voz nacional y una visión unificada para todos los periodistas hispanos. NAHJ está dirigido por una junta de 18 miembros de oficiales ejecutivos y directores regionales que representan áreas geográficas de Estados Unidos y el Caribe. La oficina nacional está localizada en Washington D.C. NAHJ tiene aproximadamente 1500 miembros, incluyendo periodistas, estudiantes de periodismo, otros profesionales que trabajan en los medios de comunicación y educadores de periodismo.

PARA DIFUSIÓN INMEDIATA
Atención: Anna Lopez
Directora Ejecutiva Interina
Teléfono: 202-662-7145
alopez@nahj.org

Ivette Davila-Richards
Directora Región 2
Teléfono: 347-661-2021
nahjregion2@gmail.com

Deadline Approaching: Register Now for 3AF's 2012 Asian Marketing Summit, May 15-17

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:38:00 GMT

REGISTER NOW: 2012 Asian Marketing Summit--The Asian American Advertising Federation Presents: The 2012 Annual Asian Marketing Summit, May 16-17, 2012 Conference with Optional Asian Boot Camp on May 15 at the Venetian Hotel & Resort in Las Vegas

The Asian American Advertising Federation (3AF) proudly presents its annual gathering of marketers, agencies, media and industry leaders for a deep dive into the latest and greatest in Asian marketing. Prior to the conference, we’ve added an optional Asian Boot Camp on May 15. Don’t miss it!

Date: May 16-17, 2012
(Conference begins at 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday, May 16 and concludes at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 17)

Optional Asian Market Boot Camp on May 15, 2012 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Lead by industry experts for those new to Asian marketing or for those who want a refresher course on the critical basics.

In addition to a day and half of captivating panel discussions and speakers, the conference includes the 3AF’s Creative Excellence Awards, honoring the best and brightest work in the Asian advertising industry.

Agenda: The full conference agenda, including speaker bios and photos, is available here. However, here are some highlights:

Opening Remarks by Rishad Tobaccowala, Chief Innovation Officer, Publicis Groupe Media
Asian Mommy Bloggers: They Wear the Pants in the House
Toyota: World Class Marketing in the Fast Lane
Strength in Numbers: Asians and the Upcoming Presidential Election
Asian Media Savvy by Media Strategists
New Opportunities in Multicultural Marketing in Canada
Special Presentation by Nielsen
Research Presentation by Yahoo!
Asian Automotive Market - Current Trends, Industry Leaders and Hot Markets
Mobile Media, featuring speakers from American Express and other companies
Experimentation and Growth: Case Study by Coca-Cola

For more information visit http://www.3af.org/evite/2012/AsianMarketingSummit/Conference2012.html.

Ethnic Technologies, LLC: National Minority Health Awareness Month

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:28:00 GMT

The National Minority Quality Forum launched the first National Minority Health Month in April 2001. Its goal is to inform and educate emerging minority populations about disease prevention and cure. Scheduled events are designed to increase the understanding of diverse cultural differences within the context of prevailing health-related values and beliefs. A national focus on disparities in health status is essential to implement changes in health care delivery.

Health care is a cultural construct, arising from beliefs about the nature of disease and the human body. These integrated human behavior patterns include language, customs, and beliefs. Cultural issues are at the core of wellness, health service treatment and preventive interventions. They influence how the patient and the health care provider perceive illness, disease, causes and cures. Proven over time and still one of the best ways to reach these populations is direct mail.

Some "minority populations" are emerging as the majority in major geographic areas. By 2050, the Census reports, the United States will have no clear majority population group. Our national tapestry will continue to be woven with diverse cultural, ethnic, and racial threads. Unfortunately still, at times, these groups experience poorer disease control and limited health care options. They have the highest rates of disability and premature death.

Recently the University of Texas and Brigham and Women's Hospital both found that Hispanic women can be at three times the risk for a pre-term baby delivery. Similar statistics for African American mothers. Cancer is the second leading cause of death for most racial and ethnic minorities. It is the number one killer for Asians. African American men are over twice as likely to die from prostate cancer as White men are. Black women are more likely to die of breast cancer than any other group; Hispanic women have the highest incidence rate for cervical cancer.

These statistics reflect genetic variations, environmental factors, and the cultural and linguistic traits that create and influence specific health behaviors. However, even when minorities have similar levels of access to care, health insurance and education, they often receive poor quality care. This may be a result of inadequate patient to provider communication or provider discrimination.

One objective of National Minority Health Month is to develop a clearer understanding of cultural competence. This ability to value and incorporate the cultural differences of diverse populations can create a health care system that serves the unique needs of populations whose cultures may be different from the prevailing culture.

This month also addresses the issues surrounding minority under-representation in interventional and observational clinical trials. Recruiting and retaining participants remains a problem due to lack of cultural competency by the provider and distrust of the health care system by minority group members. Hispanics are particularly affected because they are the largest minority group without medical insurance. These influencers affect valid analysis and outcomes of the studies and dilute what constitutes effective and safe care for these groups. The cornerstone of this campaign is overcoming minority group barriers through community awareness, education and involvement.

The costs (financial and human) associated with patient noncompliance are staggering and very well documented. Understanding ethnicity, language preference and country of origin can influence - for the positive. New technologies and applications are coming, but true understanding and respect of these populations are what will continue to make a difference.

National Minority Health Month hopes to raise awareness of disparity and the need to include all groups in health care education, policies, and programs. Inclusion of marginalized groups in the decision making process creates a health care system that benefits all groups well into this century and beyond - plus it can be good business as well.

Ethnic Technologies, LLC - Multicultural Insight
Ethnic Technologies, LLC is the platinum standard in multicultural marketing. The result of over 40 years of continuous ethnic, religious and language preference research, E-Tech allows clients to segment their database by ethnicity, religion, language preference, Hispanic country of origin and gender more accurately and comprehensively than any other approach. The EthniCenter® offers an Assimilation Index, which distinguishes Hispanic individuals based on their ability to speak their Native Language or understand the language of their prevailing culture. E-Tech incorporates a unique approach for the different Hispanic Countries of Origin. After identifying their specific names, E-Tech does a neighborhood analysis using multi-sourced information compiled from our research team. From that data, E-Tech is able to accurately identify the Hispanic individuals' Country of Origin. The incorporation of Enhanced Neighborhood Analytics (ENA) technology in E-Tech Version 8.0 establishes a new and unprecedented level of granularity and completeness in the ethnic marketing industry. Clients also benefit from and acquire ethnic mailing, telemarketing and email lists for both the United States and Canada. The analytics department at E-TECH offers ethnic data appending services and mapping to provide businesses with an overview of new and existing markets.

For more Information Contact Peg North at 203-400-1056 or Pnorth@EthnicTechnologies.com. Visit www.ethnictechnologies.com.