BIOS AND BACKGROUND
INFORMATION ON TARGET MARKET NEWS
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KEN SMIKLE
President, Target Market News

Ken Smikle, president and founder of Target Market News, and editor and publisher of its publications, is considered one of the leading authorities on marketing, advertising and media directed to the African-American market.

The company's trade publication, Target Market News, covers business activities in advertising, marketing and media targeted to black consumers. Its annual report, The Buying Power of Black America, analyzes how African-American consumers spend billions of dollars in hundreds of categories of products and services.

The company also distributes news and information on the latest developments in marketing and media through its website, www.targetmarketnews.com. Target Market News also hosts the annual Black Consumer Research and Advertising Summit, a two-day conference for senior executives engaged in African-American marketing, media and research.

Smikle has appeared on CNN, CNBC, CBS News, NBC's "Today" show, ABC's "World News Tonight," "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" and "Marketplace," and numerous other television and radio programs. He is frequently quoted in Newsweek, Time, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Advertising Age, Publishers Weekly and other leading periodicals.

As a speaker, Smikle has addressed diverse audiences such as the Democratic Caucus Conference of the U.S. House of Representatives; employees of Nike, Pepsi Cola, Quaker Oats and organizations like the Association of National Advertisers, the National Newspaper Publishers Association, the Advertising Federation, the Food Marketing Institute, the National Association of Broadcasters, the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters, the National Alliance of Market Developers, the United Way and the American Booksellers Association.

Prior to starting Target Market News in 1988, Smikle worked as an editor and publisher for a number of periodicals. He was senior editor for Black Enterprise, the leading magazine chronicling African-Americans in business.

Smikle presently resides in Chicago with his wife, Renee Ferguson, an investigative reporter at WMAQ-TV, and son, Jason.

Company History and Background

Target Market News, Inc. was founded in 1988 with a mission to provide news, information and research on the nation?s largest ethnic group, African-American consumers. Based in Chicago, it is the only company of its kind in the industry.

The company publishes Target Market News, a monthly trade magazine. The publication features reports on advertising, marketing, research, public relations, media and the latest business developments and statistics related to the black consumer market. The Target Market News Bulletin is an electronic newsletter that delivers up-to-the-minute developments in African-American marketing and media.

Target Market News, Inc. also publishes The Buying Power of Black America, an annual report which details and analyzes the purchases made by African-American households in 500 categories of products and services. In addition to the national edition, individual reports are available for each of 30 largest black consumer markets.  The report is the nation's most widely quoted information source on the spending habits of African-Americans.

Target Market News hosts conferences and trade shows that present the most up-to-date research and trend data available on African-American marketing, media and consumer behavior. These events bring together corporate executives and companies with expertise in advertising, marketing, and media that target black consumers. These exchanges of information take place through panel presentations, workshops and informal networking sessions.

Since For the past nine years, the The Marketing to African Americans with Excellence (MAAX) Summit (formerly the Black Consumer Research and Advertising Summit) has offered a two-day conference examining the latest research and trends in African-American marketing, advertising and research. The event, which takes places in Chicago, has attracted hundreds of key executives from major corporations.

The African-American Magazine Summit was founded in 2003. It is the only forum to bring together black magazine publishers and executives and the marketers that do business with them. Through this unique Summit, new insights and opportunities are being forged for black-oriented magazines and advertisers that target the African-American market.

For the latest information, data and trends on African-American consumers, visit Target Market News online. By logging on at www.targetmarketnews.com, you can read news, excerpts from our reports, review black consumer statistics, as well as order publications and register for company events.

For information on how we can be of service to your company, contact our office at 312-408-1881.

Go to Target Market News homepage

 

 14th Edition Now Available!
Latest Buying Power report shows spending up in major categories

The 2007 edition of "The Buying Power of Black America" has just been released by Target Market News. The one-of-a-kind report is the most quoted source of information on how African-American consumers spend their $744 billion in income.

According to the newest edition of "The Buying Power of Black America," there is growth in a number of major product categories despite that slowdown in overall consumer purchases. Get the details by ordering your copy now.

Click here to order The Buying Power of Black
America report

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