ANA Call For Entries To Multicultural Marketing Awards.

The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) has opened a call for entries for its annual Multicultural Excellence Awards. The Awards, now in their fourth year, recognize ANA member companies that have produced outstanding multicultural advertising campaigns during the past 12 months. This year the program will feature a new category that honors gay and lesbian advertising campaigns. The ANA represents over 330 of the nation’s largest corporate marketers.

“The ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards continue to expand each year with new categories and a growing pool of superb submissions to choose from. This shows that major marketers are increasingly relying on multicultural advertising to drive marketing ROI,” said Gilbert Davila, vice president, multicultural marketing, Walt Disney Company, and chair of ANA’s Multicultural Marketing Committee.

The 2004 award recipients will be recognized during a special ceremony during the ANA’s Multicultural Marketing Conference, November 7-9 at The Disneyland Grand Californian Hotel in Anaheim, California. The ANA will present awards in a total of five campaign categories: African-American, Asian, Hispanic, General Market and Gay and Lesbian. All entries will be judged on creativity and relevance. In addition, the ANA has an optional award category to honor a “Multicultural Campaign With Significant Results.”

All entries must be submitted to the ANA no later than September 3, 2004. Eligibility is limited to campaigns created for ANA member companies that ran in the United States between June 2003 and May 2004.

ANA member companies’ advertising agencies may submit campaigns on their behalf. For further information and entry forms, visit http://www.ana.net/awards/

The awards are sponsored by ANA’s Multicultural Marketing Committee. The committee, which was established in 1998, helps ANA members share knowledge and best practices in marketing to America’s burgeoning ethnic markets. A portion of the proceeds collected from the awards submission fees will be used to help fund scholarships for high-potential multicultural students who plan to pursue careers in advertising and/or marketing.

About the ANA

The ANA’s mission is to be the Center of Excellence for Marketing – to provide industry leadership and proprietary resources that enable members to build brands, improve marketing productivity and drive business results. Access to ANA’s best practices, peer-to-peer network and industry leadership enable corporate marketers to: strengthen brand management, strategic planning and execution; control costs, streamline processes and create efficiencies; optimize media management and integrated marketing communications; develop professional marketing talent; shape industry platforms that advance the practice of marketing and promote free markets, free speech and free choice; and champion the value and power of marketing. The trade association represents 340 companies with 8,000 brands that collectively spend over $100 billion in marketing communications and advertising. For more information visit http://www.ana.net