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25th Anniversary of Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc. (MMR) Milestone Reached May 2019
25th Anniversary of Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc. (MMR) Milestone Reached May 2019
It was 25 years ago this month, a Friday, May 20th, 1994, that Lisa Skriloff said goodbye to her colleagues at The New York Times where she was a Director of Marketing, gathered up her shoes from under her desk and left to start Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc. (MMR) which opened for business the following Monday. She had a name for the company, an idea, a mission, a business plan in her head and a natural inclination towards optimism and, as she walked out that door in Times Square, a new chapter began.
Today the company, a consultancy, publisher, a resource to multicultural marketers and a champion of multicultural agencies and companies, continues to grow and build on the products, services and publications that have been launched over the years.
A valuable industry resource, The Source Book of Multicultural Experts was first published in 1998 as a printed guide for corporate marketers to ad agencies, research firms, ethnic media and resources to help them reach Hispanic, African American and Asian American consumers, and now continues online at https://multicultural.com/sourcebook/sourcebook_companies. There, visitors can find an expert using the search tool or request a download to print out, ask MMR to make a (free) match to a company or distribute their RFPat no charge. The Source Book actually started life as a tool for journalists who seek to diversify their source list and still serves that purpose as Lisa provides them with contacts for interviews on deadline (at no charge.)
The company’s newsletter, Multicultural Marketing News, first published in 1996 as a printed and mailed 4-page newsletter, continues to this day as subscribers receive MMRNews@multicultural.com to their email inbox. Past issues are archived at https://multicultural.com/multicultural-marketing-news. (Free subscriptions at https://multicultural.com/mail_list_sign_up). MMRNews also serves as a distribution vehicle for solo eblasts (advertorial essays and press releases) provided by multicultural industry companies and conferences. Their news is then archived at https://multicultural.com/multicultural-articles and events are featured at https://multicultural.com/calendar.
The company website, multicultural.com, serves not just to promote Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc. but showcases the free-to-access directory of expert agencies and resources as well as Speakers on multicultural and diversity topics and job openings. Recommended Multicultural and Diversity Books are also featured at https://multicultural.com/resources/recommended-multicultural-and-diversity-books.
First criticized for the name she chose for the company, she has found that its vagueness has served its intended purpose of bringing inquiries and opportunities as the industry developed. Later, other naysayers…….well, who remembers any of that now?
A writer and teacher at heart, Lisa, at the same time as serving as president of MMR, has continued her tandem careers as a travel writer, book author and adjunct instructor. Her travel bio lists her numerous freelance writing contributions to travel trade publications such as Skift, Successful Meetings Magazine and Travel Agent Magazine, newspapers such as The Daily News and travel guides such as Fodor’s Guide to Cruises and Ports of Call and Fodor’s Great American Sports and Adventure Vacations (chapter on Scuba Diving).
Combining her love of travel and multicultural marketing, Lisa launched and writes the newsletter Multicultural Travel News both emailed and online. The newsletter covers destinations and their multicultural attractions as well as their outreach to diverse travelers, including multicultural and LGBTQ travelers and people with disabilities, and also highlights travel industry diversity initiatives and staff appointments. Likewise, Lisa has served as a consultant to travel PR agencies, writing their in-house materials and travel articles about their clients.
As a trend spotter — and with her bucket list goal of being a published author– Lisa collaborated with co-author Jodie Gould to write the 1997 how-to book from St. Martin’s Press Men Are from Cyberspace: The Single Woman’s Guide To Flirting, Dating and Finding Love Online, one of the first books on this topic.
Putting her UW-Madison degree in Education and Spanish to good use, she approached NYU School of Professional Studies to inaugurate and teach a course on multicultural marketing which they accepted for their Certificate in Marketing program. She then wrote the curriculum for and taught “Ethnic Marketing: How to Target the Multicultural Consumer” for 11 years to professionals in the workforce.
Over the years, MMR has been a proud witness, and resource to, the burgeoning multicultural marketing and diversity industry within the advertising field and corporate America. In fact, an upcoming project from MMR is the forthcoming publication of a milestone timeline which will include key dates of agency and ethnic media launches, formation of multicultural industry organizations, and other markers of historical significance. The timeline will include the period even further back than the launch of Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc. to the 1980s when Lisa worked at Caballero Spanish Radio for Hispanic market pioneer Eduardo Caballero and even earlier. (If you have suggestions of dates, company milestones and events to be included in this timeline please send to lisa@multicultural.com.)
As befitting a company with 25 years of history, MMR has made donations of documents and materials which have been accepted by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. whose archives now house copies of The Source Book of Multicultural Experts and Multicultural Marketing News as well as newsletters (Hispanic Age) and correspondence from Lisa’s work at Caballero Spanish Radio, and to the Museum of Public Relations in NYC including 15 binders of historical material from her work with pioneering Asian ad agency Kang & Lee Advertising and the establishment of the organization, the Asian American Advertising Federation.
Looking ahead, MMR will be launching a refreshed website at multicultural.com which will allow log in by companies who wish to upload their company profile to the directory, add their conferences and events to the listings, post jobs, articles and other paid ads.
Consulting services will continue to be offered as MMR often receives requests to tap into the contact database for recruitment purposes and to provide diverse resources for journalists and corporate executives.
And travel and travel writing continues both at Multicultural Travel News as well as Lisa’s blog DanceTravelNews.com.
Satisfaction is its own reward but Lisa has also been the recipient of many awards and honors including Working Woman Magazine’s award for Innovation in Entrepreneurship, a PRSA Big Apple award for Best Newsletter, the Ad Club of NY’s President’s Award for Diversity Initiatives, and the Multicultural Marketing Achievement Award at The 18th Annual Multicultural Marketing Conference and Awards Luncheon held at the Women’s Club of Minneapolis . Her very first award, from the Little Red Train Camp, (pre-school) was for “Most Friendly Girl in her Group.”
Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc. is a WBENC, NYC and New York State certified woman-owned business.
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