Admerasia, Inc. is a full service advertising agency that specializes in creating marketing campaigns that target Asian Americans. Since 1993, Admerasia has practiced the art of marketing to Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Russian cultures. With a talented and experienced multi-cultural staff, they have successfully executed campaigns for Fortune 500 companies. Their services include advertising, direct marketing and collateral, media planning and buying, market research and event marketing. Admerasia believes that every creative idea must be born from the client's image and service, and then must be expressed in the visual and verbal language of another culture. Their thorough knowledge of Asian culture combined with exciting creative builds a bridge of communication between a corporation's marketing goals and the hearts and minds of Asian Americans. Founded by Zan and Joseph Liu, their clients include MCI Telecommunications Corp., Citibank N.A., and Ajinomoto USA. Call Ms. Atsuko Watanabe, General Manager, 212-686-3333.

Now in its seventeenth year, JMH Communications is one of the leading agencies in the field of sponsored education programs with an emphasis on multicultural marketing. The key areas of their focus: health, nutrition, global marketing, multicultural awareness, children's issues and the environment. JMH programs speak to students and their families while meeting client's marketing and corporate social responsibility objectives. For student use, they've created animated and culturally specific videos and original music, CD-ROMs, storybooks and cooperative learning activities. For teachers, they've produced satellite video conferences; for parents, interactive take-home materials. JMH provides school systems with materials in a format that makes it easy to tailor to any language. For a school district such as Oakland, California, where at least 56 languages are spoken, this is an invaluable, versatile resource. Among JMH's clients are Colgate-Palmolive, for whom they produced U.S. and global programs, and The Soap and Detergent Association. JMH has also received grants from The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. Call Janice Hamilton, President, 212-924-2941.

Filipinas Magazine, the premier Filipino American monthly founded in 1992, celebrates a circulation increase to 30,000. Known for its in-depth coverage of issues affecting Filipinos and its features on entertainment, travel, cuisine, culture, history and role models, the English-language glossy is highly influential among Filipino Americans, a group that will number 2 million by the year 2000, making them the largest Asian Pacific group in the nation. Known for their strong response to culturally-specific marketing and brand loyalty, Filipinos wield an estimated $15 billion in purchasing power. Filipinas Magazine, whose readers average $58,000 annual household income, is the only Asian American publication certified by the ABC. Filipinas is distributed nationally and is available in Canada, Manila and on Philippine Airlines' transpacific flights. Their website, Filipinas Online, at www.filipinasmag.com, is critically acclaimed. Call Mona Lisa Yuchengco, Publisher, 415-674-0968.

A study conducted by Hispanic & Asian Marketing Communication Research, Inc. refutes the common belief that Hispanics shop for groceries primarily at small Mom-and-Pop type stores and substantiates that Spanish language advertising is much more effective than English in reaching Spanish speaking Hispanics. Among the findings of the Nov-Dec 1996 survey of 314 Spanish-speaking female heads of households in the San Francisco-San Jose Bay Area: almost half of the sample said that in the past month they purchased something they saw advertised on Spanish TV as compared to only 23% who bought something they saw on English TV. Also preferred: major supermarkets (i.e. Safeway, Lucky's) over small local grocery stores due to the convenience of one-stop-shopping and the availability of authentic Latin American selections. Warehouse type stores (Costco, Price Club,) with their large packages and wholesale prices, appealed to large Hispanic families. Call Dr. Felipe Korzenny, or Dr. Rebecca Abravanel, 415-595-5028.

Condy & Reid, LLC specializes in high-end digital design and production for all traditional and new media, creating state-of-the-art CD-ROMs, useful and effective Web Sites, exciting 3-D animations and illustrations. Condy & Reid, working with Beisler and Partners, Absolut's sales promotion agency of record, created an interactive CD-ROM for Absolut Kurant that entertains and educates consumers about the brand. This fun mixology guide leads the consumer through a surreal world full of animated drink recipes and unique games. Upon reaching the Absolut Place, the player is launched to the Absolut Web Site and other Kool Klub sites on the Web. This woman-owned company attributes its rapid success to its unique combination of creative and technical talent. Call Julie Condy, President, 212-989-0619.

The African Heritage Network, hosted by film legends Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, announces a celebration reception and press conference for acquiring the weekend syndication rights to Dick Wolf's Fox hit drama New York Undercover. The reception will take place at Soul Cafe, March 25, 1997 from 7-9 pm. The announcement of the acquisition was made by AHN's president Frank Mercado-Valdes, who directed the negotiations with Universal Domestic Television. Mercado-Valdes is also the president of Alto-Marc Communications, an ad sales firm based in New York. The celebration will draw the cast members of NY Undercover, Universal Domestic Television's senior executives, top industry movers and shakers, celebrities and ad agency personnel. This is the first time in the history of broadcast television that a minority-owned company has purchased a network series for syndication. "The offer (Mercado-Valdes) made us for our barter spots was more than our own internal estimation of what we could sell them for in the general market," said Steve Rosenburg, executive vice president, Universal Domestic Television. Contact David Roberts, Promotions Manager, 212-227-0494.

Editorial Televisa, the largest publisher of Spanish-language magazines in the world, has launched Men's Health en Español, the newest monthly in its lineup of magazines for the U.S. Hispanic market. Readers of Men's Health en Español will find the editorial geared around three basic subjects: health, relationships and fitness. A host of other subjects that define today's Hispanic man (between ages 25 and 44) will be included, such as work, social life, family, fashion, sports, tourism and entertainment. Advertisers will find the quality they expect from Editorial Televisa whose more than 40 titles include Vanidades, the #1 Spanish-language women's magazine in the Western Hemisphere and Cosmopolitan en Español. Other magazines cover youth (Eres, Tñ,) home and family (Buenhogar), entertainment, (TV y Novelas, Cristina La Revista) sports, (Deporte Internacional) and other men's titles (Automovil, Mecãnica Popular.) Contact Madelin Bosakewich, Advertising Sales Director, 305-871-6400 ext 230.

Covenant House New York's Rights of Passage program is currently looking for adult professionals over 30 years of age to serve as mentors in their long-term vocational and educational transitional living program for formerly homeless young men and women aged 18 to 21. Emphasizing relationships, the program matches each resident with a mentor, who commits to work on a one to one basis during the 18 month program. Trained and supported by the Rights of Passage staff, mentors offer motivation and consistent adult support and guidance, which have often been lacking in the residents' lives. Communicating with their mentees by phone weekly, and meeting with them personally twice a month, mentors provide perspective on the challenges of a career and the factors of success. In the past ten years, more than 600 mentors have been involved in the program. Call Ximena Rua-Merkin, Deputy Director, 212-330-0562.

In a recent, head-to-head test of in-language vs. English telemarketing campaigns, TelAc, Inc.,a leading provider of multilingual telemarketing services, confirmed that customers are at least twice as likely to buy from a company that speaks to them in their preferred, native language. The test consisted of a financial services customer acquisition program and reinforces the transferable success attained from 6+ years of in-language telemarketing programs performed by TelAc for the long distance industry. In-language telemarketing shows respect for the audiences language and culture, enhances their comfort level with the sales process, increases retention and allows companies to thoroughly explain a product or service. This is especially true when confidential information is needed for credit card application. In-language telemarketing creates a connection that sells. Call Chris Purdy, VP, Marketing & Sales, 800-522-3447.

Multicultural Marketing News is produced by Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc. a public relations and marketing agency representing companies that are women or minority-owned and corporations that market to these groups. MMR also helps companies locate vendors and other business resources and produces custom newsletters. To find out how your company can be profiled in an upcoming newsletter, or to be added to our mailing list, contact Lisa Skriloff, 212-242-3351.

NAMD, a professional organization of individuals actively involved in marketing, sales and public relations, will hold its 45th annual conference April 17-20 in Chicago. The conference, entitled "The Vision of Our Founders, The Challenge of our Future," will celebrate the first 45 years of NAMD, its founders and 45 NAMD "Living Legends": pioneers of the concept of ethnic targeted marketing. Honorees include: John H. Johnson, President, Johnson Publishing Co.; Don Jackson, President, Central City Productions and producer of Minority Business Journal; Tom Burrell of Burrell Advertising, among others. Agenda includes keynote speakers, contemporary business workshops, power breakfasts and abundant networking opportunities. For conference registration and information, contact Kellie Moore, 773-874-3773.

Avon Products, Inc. has for four years published the Avon Boutique, a quarterly catalog saluting the pride and culture of the African-American community. Each 1997 Avon Boutique draws its creative influence from a distinct region of the Black Diaspora. The first catalog features products inspired by West Africa. Subsequent catalogs focus on the Caribbean, North Africa, and South Africa. With an annual circulation of 12 million, the Avon Boutique features a wide range of exclusively designed decorative objects for the home, fashion jewelry and accessories, gifts, and children's toys and collectiblesÑreflecting the beauty and ancestry of African Americans. As a global beauty company, Avon includes a variety of skin-care, color cosmetics and personal-care products. While designed with a specific market in mind, many designs are enjoying great success outside traditional urban ethnic markets, underscoring the catalog's crossover appeal. Call Paulette Brown, Mgr, African-American Mktg, 212-546-8880.

The New York Daily News continues to expand its growth into ethnic publishing with the premiere on Sunday, March 16 of Caribbeat Monthly, a four-color Caribbean-American lifestyle magazine. The supplement will be distributed in Caribbean-American communities throughout New York City and will feature in-depth coverage of news affecting Caribbean-Americans, travel and restaurant guides, a small business and community focus and an entertainment/special events section. The Daily News' introduction of Caribbeat Monthly underscores a commitment to meeting the needs of New York's ethnically diverse population. The supplement joins a lineup, in place since 1992, which includes VIVA, Primera Fila, B.E.T. Weekend, as well as special issues for Black History Month and Kwanzaa. Caribbeat Monthly will be edited by veteran Daily News editor and columnist Jared McCallister. Call Debbie Medina, Ethnic Publications, 212-210-1992.

Kang & Lee Advertising's new quadrilingual web site is a one-stop source for consumers and marketing executives alike. An innovative site that's fast to access, the text is available in Chinese, Korean, Japanese and English, yet a language-specific computer operating system is not necessary to read it. Developed in conjunction with Kioken, a cutting-edge web site developer, Asianmarketinfo.com offers comprehensive information regarding Asian populations, including census data with actual counts; demographics; primary consumer behavior research on shopping behavior and product usage, and mailing lists sorted by ethnicity and attributes. The site is linked to the agency's main site, www.kanglee.com, which also contains back issues of their newsletter Asia Connection and to the online version of the Asian Marketing Reference Guide. Kang & Lee's roster of clients includes Sears, AT&T and Bank of America. Call Eliot Kang, President, 212-889-4509.