Multicultural.com is the home of Multicultural Marketing Resources (founded by Lisa Skriloff in 1994) and is a marketplace for companies and agencies to find resources, make connections, promote their programs and services and interact with each other and us.
Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc. Receives Industry Partner of the Year Award from 3AF
Date: Sep 18, 2026
Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc. Receives Industry Partner of the Year Award from 3AF (The Asian American Advertising Federation)
2026 Excellence Awards Honor Leaders in Asian American Marketing and Advertising
NEW YORK, NY — September 18, 2026 — The Asian American Advertising Federation (3AF.org) announced last night the winners of the 3AF 2026 Excellence Awards. The competition recognizes outstanding marketers, agencies, industry partners, and brands for their leadership, creativity and impact in reaching and engaging Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) audiences.
Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc. was the first recipient of the Industry Partner award. ANA was also recognized with the industry partner of the year award.
This new award recognizes an outstanding partner whose expertise, collaboration, and innovation have played a critical role in advancing strategies, campaigns that engage AAPI audiences and consumers or enables industry growth of AAPI advertisers.
In introducing MMR President Lisa Skriloff who accepted the award, 3AF Executive Director Genny Hom-Franzen said “Through her vision, expertise, and dedication, Lisa Skriloff has helped elevate the visibility and importance of multicultural marketing, including the Asian American consumer market, creating greater awareness of the diversity, influence, and tremendous value of Asian American audiences.
In addition, Multicultural Marketing Resources has served as an important resource for marketers, advertisers, media professionals, and brands seeking to better understand and authentically connect with Asian American communities.
Via the weekly newsletter—Multicultural Marketing News — and the annual publication of the Source Book of Multicultural Experts— a printed directory now located at multicultural.com — Lisa’s work has helped open doors, build bridges, and encourage the advertising industry to recognize multicultural audiences not as an afterthought, but as an essential part of the American marketplace.
Side note, Lisa also had a key role in helping to position and promote 3AF when it was first founded in the late 90s.”
Accepting the award Lisa Skriloff said, “I’m truly honored to receive the very first 3AF Industry Partner Award and gratified to be recognized for my work supporting the agencies and media promoting the multicultural consumer market to advertisers and as a champion for the Asian American market.”
L to R Genny Hom-Franzen, Executive Director, 3AF, Lisa Skriloff, President, Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc., Sharmila M. Fowler, Executive Director, 3AF
The winners were revealed during the 3AF Excellence Awards Dinner, held in New York City as part of the 3AF 2026 Asian Marketing Summit, the largest national conference focusing on the power of the Asian American consumer. The annual awards celebrate marketing and advertising work that demonstrates cultural relevance, strategic excellence, authentic storytelling, meaningful audience connection, and measurable results.
3AF 2026 Excellence Award Winners
3AF Hall of Marketing Legends Award
Recognizes an individual who has been instrumental in 3AF’s success and/or who has dedicated their professional lives to pursuing excellence in Asian marketing and Asian advertising.
Winner:Bill Imada, Founder, Chairman, and Chief Connectivity Officer, IW Group, Inc.
3AF Media Strategy of the Year
Recognizes outstanding strategy, execution and results across earned, owned and paid media targeting AAPI audiences, including the effective use of audience insights, innovative marketing practices and measurable business or brand impact.
Winner:Intertrend for Toyota bZ
Campaign: “Impress with New bZ”
3AF Experiential Marketing & Activation Award
Recognizes outstanding experiential advertising and marketing that creates immersive, engaging and memorable brand experiences through live events, interactive environments, activations, digital integrations or hybrid experiences.
Winner:Intertrend for China Airlines
Campaign: “Step into the Clouds”
3AF PR / Influencer / Social Campaign of the Year
Celebrates an influencer, creator and/or social media campaign that demonstrates culturally relevant, innovative, and impactful engagement with AAPI audiences, backed by authentic connections, creative execution and measurable impact.
Winner:Ethnicity Matters for Mattel
Campaign: ‘Uno, Lights and Laughs”
3AF Industry Partner of the Year
Recognizes an industry partner whose expertise, collaboration and innovation have helped advance strategies and campaigns targeting AAPI audiences or contributed to the growth of the AAPI advertising industry.
Winners:Multicultural Marketing Resources and The Association of National Advertisers
3AF Campaign of the Year: Bronze (third place); Silver (second place); and Gold (first place)
Honors creative excellence in campaigns that engage AAPI audiences through bold ideas, strategic insight, authentic storytelling and meaningful audience engagement. Winning work demonstrates excellence in creative concepts, cultural relevance, execution, innovation, community connection and measurable results.
Bronze Winner:iTalk BB Media for Toyota bZ
Campaign: “The Key of Memory- Micro Drama”
Silver Winner:Plan C for Procter & Gamble
Campaign: “Get Ready for Diwali”
Gold Winner:Intertrend for the California Lottery
Campaign: “Dancing Ahjussi”
Celebrating the Work That Moves the Industry Forward
The 3AF 2026 Excellence Awards reflect 3AF’s commitment to recognizing organizations and individuals that are helping shape the future of Asian American marketing and advertising. This year’s competition featured categories spanning media strategy, integrated campaigns, experiential marketing, social and influencer work, industry partnerships and brand investment.
Entries were evaluated according to established category-specific criteria and a formal scoring rubric by experienced executives from the advertising, media and marketing communities, including professionals with specific expertise in the Asian American consumer and multicultural segments.
Genny Hom-Franzen, 3AF Executive Director, said, “Congratulations to all the marketers working to realize and elevate the Asian American consumer audience opportunity. In a challenging marketing environment, we applaud the effort and the courage to invest. In this year’s judging, we valued work that was committed to a particular community and voice, layered insight over generic representation, and delivered measurable results.”
About 3AF
The Asian American Advertising Federation (3AF) is dedicated to advancing the Asian American advertising and marketing industry and increasing understanding of Asian American consumers. Through research, insights, education, professional development, networking and industry recognition, 3AF helps marketers and organizations build more meaningful connections with AAPI audiences.
The 3AF Excellence Awards are among the organization’s signature programs, spotlighting work that demonstrates strategic thinking, creative excellence, cultural relevance, innovation, community connection and measurable impact.
For more information about 3AF, its annual summit, and programs, visit www.3AF.org.
About Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc.
Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc. (MMR) publishes Multicultural Marketing News (MMRNews), an emailed newsletter, The Source Book of Multicultural Experts online at multicultural.com/experts and maintains a Multicultural Speakers Showcase. Lisa Skriloff, a consultant and writer on diversity, marketing and travel founded the company in 1994 to serve as a business resource to corporations, communications firms and journalists, providing information and referrals.
Contact:
Lisa Skriloff, President, Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc.
