General Motors Sponsors MAAX Summit

CHICAGO--July 29, 2011: New trends and marketing opportunities within the $836 billion black consumer market will be unveiled by some of the nation's leading research companies at the Twelfth Annual Marketing to African Americans with Excellence (MAAX) Summit in Chicago, August 1st - 2nd.

The MAAX Summit, presented by Target Market News, brings together marketing, advertising, media and research professionals each year to hear and discuss research findings and developments in the African-American market. This will be the first public presentation of many of these studies, and all of them are exclusively focused on the African-American consumer market. The Summit's presenting sponsor is General Motors, which will also be among this year's panel participants. Corporate sponsors include Ariel Investments, Comcast Business Class and Carol H. Williams Advertising.

"The MAAX Summit is now recognized as a must-attend event for those seeking a better understanding of Africa-American consumers and their enormous impact on the nation's economy," said Ken Smikle, president of Target Market News. "The marketing industry is looking for new business opportunities to increase the bottom line. It is critically important for all business professionals to take advantage of the new insights these studies on black consumers will offer."

"General Motors is pleased to partner with Ken Smikle and Target Market News to sponsor the MAAX Summit," said Eric Peterson, GM Vice President of Corporate Diversity. "Some of the most influential African Americans in the marketing, advertising, media and research industries attend this conference and GM is looking forward to networking with these professionals."

Among the research companies that will share new findings and statistics at the MAAX Summit are Arbitron, The Nielsen Co., R.L. Polk, the U.S. Census Bureau, BET, Nia Enterprises, Northern Trust, Millward Brown and Target Market News.

Also being presented at the event will be the Sixth Annual MAAX Awards. The awards program annually recognizes the contributions, innovations and exceptional performance of African-American professionals in the fields of marketing, advertising, media, public relations and consumer research.