• TRC Marketing Campaign Yields Int'l Awards

LJM & Associates, a full service minority-owned marketing communications firm, will be honored with three prestigious Adrian Advertising Awards at the 16th Annual Black-Tie Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Travel Awards Night Gala Dinner in New York City on January 30, 2006. This is the second year the firm has garnered this award in this international competition, now in its 49th year.

The Adrian Awards honor creative brilliance and best practices in hospitality, travel, and tourism-related marketing. This year, the firm took home a Silver Award for TRC Consulting Group’s print advertising (single ad) campaign, and a Bronze award for TRC’s print advertising (ad series) campaign - both promoting the value and merits of multicultural marketing.

“There is no greater honor than to be recognized by the peers in your industry, and we are more than excited that our partnership with LJM & Associates has provided us the opportunity to develop unparalleled creative efforts that are consistently recognized as award wining work,” states Ty Christian, President & Managing Partner of TRC Consulting Group. “The recognition continues to confirm the significance of multicultural marketing.”

Last year, the firm edged out corporate giants like Expedia Inc. and the Canadian Tourism Commission to win the Silver award in the web-marketing category for Christian's firm.

For the second year running, LJM & Associates, led by its president and managing partner Lisa Moten, was the only African American woman-owned firm to take home awards and one of few African American firms to garner this award within the 49-year history of this international competition. “We are absolutely thrilled to be recognized once again in this fashion by our peers on a global level,” states Moten, named one of Onyx Magazine’s Up & Coming Leaders for 2005. “We are honored by these awards, and by our client’s commitment to strong, effective marketing efforts.” Moten attributes the wins to a strong creative team and a loyal client base.

The Adrian Awards is presented by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI), an international organization of sales and marketing professionals representing all segments of the hospitality industry. In its 49th year, the competition has evolved into the world's most renowned and prestigious advertising, public relations, and web marketing competition specifically tailored for the hospitality, travel, and tourism industries. In 2004, the competition attracted over 1,500 entries from 46 countries. Winners in other categories included the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor’s Authority’s “what happens here, stays here” TV ad campaign. For more information, visit www.hsmai.org.