First of its kind conference will examine new research and business opportunities

Chicago, IL - Plans for the First Annual African-American Internet Summit were announced today by Target Market News. The all-day conference – the first such gathering of its kind in the nation -- will take place in Chicago, IL on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008 in downtown Chicago. The event is expected to attract 200 professionals from marketing, advertising, media and research.

The Summit will bring together leading consumer marketers, advertising agencies, and Internet-based companies in a long-overdue, comprehensive examination of how African-American consumers utilize the Web for information and entertainment. The latest studies reveal that the so-call “digital divide” between black and white consumers has disappeared, and African-American households are among the most desirable segment sought by Corporate America.

“It is more important than ever to thoroughly understand the relationship between the Internet and black consumers,” said Ken Smikle, president of Target Market News. “As marketers continue to shift budget and marketing strategies toward digital platforms, the competition for this audience will grow as well. Being well-informed and well-positioned to reach this $800 billion-dollar market will make or break the bottom line.”

Among the topics to be addressed by panels of experts at the Summit are:

- Case Studies: Reaching and Selling Black Consumers Successfully Via the Net

- The Latest Research on African-American Internet Usage and Preferences

- How Black-Targeted Media Is Incorporating and Adapting to the Web

- The Pros and Cons of Ad Networks

- The Most Popular Black Web Sites You Should Know About

- Measurement Metrics: Setting the Standards for Counting Black Web Traffic

- African-Americans and New Media: The Next Big Opportunity

- How the Web is Re-defining Advertiser-Media Relationships.

Information on the program details, registration and sponsorship opportunities can be found at www.targetmarketnews.com. Participants must register in advance and the exact location of the African-American Internet Summit will be revealed shortly.

Target Market News is recognized as the nation’s leading news and information source on African-American marketing, media and consumer research. The 20-year-old Chicago-based company publishes a daily online news bulletin, “The Buying Power of Black America” report, and TMN Magazine. It also hosts the annual Marketing to African-American with Excellence (MAAX) Summit, The MAAX Awards and the African-American Magazine Summit.

For more information, e-mail Target Market News at info@targetmarketnews.com, or call 312-408-1881.