Correct Communications, an African American female-owned marketing communications firm, announces the launch of From Whence We Came: African American Women of Triumph, a year-long Black history program produced by the Newark, NJ based agency for Allstate Insurance Company. The program will be introduced in February through national print ads in ESSENCE, Ebony, Black Enterprise, Heart & Soul, BET Weekend, Emerge and VIBE magazines. The ads will be followed by a series of radio vignettes in which emerging history makers (actress Phyllis Yvonne Stickney; author Iyanla Vanzant and songstress, Ann Nesby) profile legends (Della Reese, Susan Taylor and Patti LaBelle) among others in their respective fields of endeavor. Other program components include a commemorative calendar running through February 1998; a companion poster and audio cassette containing the historical radio vignettes along with theme music by Patti LaBelle. Program materials are available at Allstate offices nationally. Call Carol Lynn Patterson, APR, President, 201-242-3305.

Information Tool Geoscape International, Inc., has introduced its Hispanic Marketscape information tool designed for marketers to the burgeoning Hispanic market. With an estimated 27 million people and $230 billion in purchasing power, the Hispanic market is of tremendous interest to consumer product companies. Focusing on the areas of highest density and avoiding less concentrated areas is critical. Hispanic Marketscape includes a wealth of information including demographics, consumer expenditures, buying patterns and media data, all easily accessible via CD-ROM along with a software visualization tool that enables mapping, statistical summaries, charts and file export. Data in Hispanic Marketscape is available at nine geographic levels including Geoscape International's own Hispanic micro zones which define areas of high Hispanic population density by combined zip code areas. Geoscape International's web site, at www.geoscape.com, offers an opportunity to learn more about their wide range of consulting services for marketers. Call President Cesar Melgoza, 561-391-6465.

When Keith Ellison envisioned his Wharton School graduate-studies project growing from a recruitment magazine to a wide-ranging diversity publication called Next Step, he brought in his old fraternity brother and IBM marketing colleague, Norm Bond, as general manager. Circulation has now grown to 20,000 and the magazine is gaining national attention among corporate professionals, managers, political leaders and university officials. In December 1995, Next Step teamed up with Business Week to produce a special section, Diversity: Making the Business Case. Now, Next Step publishers plan to transform the twice-yearly publication, featuring articles on international expansion, career opportunities, education and personal development, into a bi-monthly targeting professionals and managers 25 to 54 years of age. The January issue features interviews with Stedman Graham, CEO of Graham Gregory Bozell and Christy Haubegger, President and Publisher of Latina. Philip Morris Chairman and CEO, Geoffrey Bible, discusses why diversity has been a strategic priority for his company. The magazine's readership is 46 percent African American, 40 percent white, 12 percent Hispanic and 2 percent Asian and Native American. Call Norm Bond, Next Step General Manager, 215-387-2387.

Accelerated activity in the multicultural marketing arena has dramatically grown business for companies like Vanguard Communications, a minority and woman-owned agency specializing in ethnically focused marketing communications and public relations. Vanguard has spearheaded the trend toward coordinated multicultural marketing and media planning as one of the very few agencies that can provide capabilities in diverse market segments: Hispanic, African American, Caribbean, Asian and Eastern European markets. According to founder and president Esther Novak, companies now understand the power of culturally-based marketing and the industry can be taken to the next level. Clients such as AT&T, The Gillette Company, Tropicana Dole Beverages and Summit Bank, among others, retain Vanguard for strategic communications in the ethnic marketplace. Call Esther Novak, 212-626-6751.

Esperanto Internet Services has launched InfoLatino, a bilingual Internet-based information service at www.infolatino.com. Conceived and developed by Luis Cancel, former NYC Commissioner for Cultural Affairs and award-winning Web site designer, InfoLatino strives to facilitate access to information by and about Hispanics. InfoLatino provides free World Wide Web hosting to thirty non-profit organizations serving the national Hispanic population including The Hispanic Federation of NYC, Museo de Arte de Ponce (PR), Hispanic Council on International Relations (DC), the National Hispanic Business Group (NY) and the Latino Museum of History, Art and Culture (LA) among others. Organizations from Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, San Antonio, Albuquerque-Santa-Fe and Phoenix will be added by mid-1997. For each of these cities, representing eight of the top ten urban centers ranked by Hispanic households, InfoLatino will maintain Web sites with vital information on Latino educational and business opportunities and links to other information of special interest to Latinos. Call Luis Cancel, 212-213-1414.

Eat healthy foods and exercise: that's sound advice for everyone. But young Black women (ages 18-35) are at particular risk for diabetes, hypertension and certain cancers, partly as a result of obesity. Since 1995, Sisters Together has worked to improve the eating and exercise habits of hundreds of Black women in Boston neighborhoods through walking groups, cooking demonstrations, special events and culturally sensitive printed materials. The campaign, funded largely through the National Institutes of Health, has three main themes: Togetherness, Moving More and Eating Better. Recognized by the U.S. Surgeon General as one of the ten exemplary fitness programs nationwide, Sisters Together is a five-year pilot program working with community partners and seeking corporate sponsors to help to sustain the program over time. The marketing and public relations for the campaign has been conducted by Kelley Chunn & Associates, a Boston-based consulting firm, specializing in marketing to ethnic audiences. Call Kelley Chunn, 617-524-8529.

Strategy Research Corporation, known for its publication, The U.S. Hispanic Market Study, or "Blue Book," announces its third annual Latin American Market Planning Seminar to be held on March 20, 1997 at the Miami Airport Hilton. Providing vital information for corporations seeking to penetrate the vast Latin American markets, this year's seminar will cover information for 19 countries and 70 markets. Presentation topics include The Latin American Consumer Market and Pan-Regional Marketing and Advertising. Previous seminars have drawn 300 top level executives, CEOs and strategic planners from multinational corporations. Early sponsors include: Latin Trade Magazine, World Trade Center Miami, Port of Miami, America Economia, The International Edition of The Miami Herald, PR Newswire, Lucent Technologies and the Coral Gables and Greater Miami Chambers of Commerce. Early registration price of $450 includes a copy of the 1997 Latin American Market Planning Report. Contact Marina Freedman, SRC Dir. of Mktg, 305-649-5400.

Two years ago, Tuesday Brooks, actress, model, teacher and businessperson, combined all of her interests with the founding of Ajoy Management Enterprise, a public relations and small business services support company based in New York City. Ajoy provides a comprehensive gamut of services, including: innovative marketing strategies, public/community relations capabilities, research, creative direction, implementation and, most significantly, measured results. Their personal assistant services can enable a small company to outsource some of the workload during peak times, or provide some extra leg work when trying to get a project off the ground. Drawing on the unique background and expertise of founder Brooks, Ajoy specializes in the entertainment industry, providing image consulting, special event planning and even a talent bank for producers, singers, artist managers and many others. Some of their recent clients include Rashad & Company, Saudi African Group, Ltd, artist Di Smith, Juicy Entertainment/Def Jam Music Group and BlackHealthNet. Call Tuesday Brooks, 212-732-5678.

TelAc, one of the leading providers of multilingual telemarketing services, has added 70 new stations to accommodate the work generated by their expanding credit card marketing and survey research business. TelAc helps companies penetrate ethnic markets with customized outbound and inbound telemarketing services. Earlier this year, responding to the boom in ethnic-American markets, TelAc expanded its Arlington, Virginia and Dallas, Texas facilities by 20,000 square feet. Language capabilities include Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Korean, Vietnamese, Khmer, Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi. Company information and results of TelAc's recent Asian omnibus research study of awareness and usage habits of computers, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, health care and other products and services, are available. Call Chris Purdy, 800-522-3447.

"Mission: Possible", a 13 minute video produced by the Ad Club of NY and underwritten by AT&T, is available to interested parties. The video is designed for people of color, primarily students, considering different career paths, to give them insight into the advertising industry. For more information, or to obtain a copy of the video, contact Jami Kelmenson at the Ad Club, 212-533-8080.

What do direct marketers need to know about marketing to Hispanics, African Americans and Asian Americans? Join the DMA conferences and learn from companies with outstanding success, such as Coca-Cola USA, Boston Bank of Commerce and Procter & Gamble, in marketing to ethnic consumers in the areas of lists, special events, creative and media. On Feb 26, the concentration will be on the Hispanic market; February 27 will cover the African and Asian American groups. Contact Fabian Robinson, 212-768-7277 ext 1611.

The Publicity Club of New York, (PCNY) will present a luncheon program on Jan 28 that will spotlight a successful public relations campaign in the ethnic consumer market. Panel members include Dr. Marsha Butler, creator of Colgate's "Bright Smiles, Bright Futures" campaign, and Director, Global Oral Health Improvement and Consumer Education; Jeff Burns, SVP, Johnson Publishing Co (publishers of Ebony, Ebony Man and Jet magazines) and Lynne Scott, Public Relations Director, Uniworld Group, Inc. Call 212-978-PCNY.

Multicultural Marketing News is produced by Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc. a New York City-based public relations and marketing company specializing in projects for companies that are women- or minority-owned and for corporations that market to these groups. The company also publishes two other newsletters: Women on the Fast Track: Profiles of Successful Women in Business and one about women in new media. Lisa Skriloff founded MMR in 1994 after a 15-year marketing/advertising career in newspapers, radio and magazines including positions at The New York Times; at a NYC-based Spanish radio network and at a magazine in Madrid, Spain. To find out how your company can be profiled in an upcoming newsletter, or to be added to our database, contact Lisa Skriloff, 212-242-3351.

Pairing Combines Nearly 1,000 Stores and $8 Billion in Sales HispanAmérica Response Marketing, a company which creates new revenue opportunities in the Hispanic market, has joined Circuit City, the consumer electronics giant, and Grupo Elektra, Mexico's largest consumer electronics retailer, in a new service, "Bien Entregado." America's 17 million consumers of Mexican origin spend $6 billion annually sending merchandise to Mexico. "Bien Entregado" provides reliable delivery without the shipping, legal and customs hurdles. Goods purchased at any Circuit City store are picked-up at any Elektra store in Mexico. "HispanAmérica created for Circuit City a significant position in the U.S. Hispanic market without substantial capital investment." said Jonathan Reckford, vice president for Circuit City. Luis Echarte, Elektra's chief financial officer said, "We want to profit from our brand recognition in the U.S. Mexican community. HispanAmérica opened a dollar-denominated revenue stream for us without the need for a brick-and-mortar investment in the U.S. Their creativity in structuring a relationship with Circuit City exemplifies their ability to conceive new market opportunities." Call Gerry Pike, managing director, 717-676-6000.

Premier Resource for Black History Month NetNoir Inc., the first new media company dedicated to digitizing, archiving and distributing global Afrocentric culture, through its service NetNoir Online, will celebrate February 1997's Black History Month by spotlighting daily essays detailing true sagas from the pages of African-American history, interactive trivia which explores a wide range of historical facts, a fun and educational contest for kids, and other offerings. Based in San Francisco, and accessible at www.netnoir.com and on AOL at keyword NetNoir, NetNoir Online is devoted to providing a safe community where people can explore, exchange ideas, and learn about one another through the power of an interactive medium. With its Black multiethnic content, NetNoir is designed to be a welcoming entity to a wide demographic. NetNoir seeks to bring greater ethnic diversity to the global online community by offering relevant and exciting interactive entertainment and information which includes Afrocentric music, politics, romance and daily polls. Call Joseph Mouzon, Vice President Sales & Marketing, 415-536-6709.