The Cross-Cultural Marketing And Communications Association (the CCMCA) Partners With WPP's Millward Brown And Ogilvy & Mather For The Release Of The Industry's First Brand Cross-Cultural Index Powered By BrandZ™

NEW YORK, Dec. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of a successful launch of the marketing and communications industry first Total Market industry association in September, The Cross-Cultural Marketing and Communications Association (The CCMCA), is partnering with founding members Millward Brown and Ogilvy & Mather to raise awareness and engagement for the Brand Cross-Cultural Index (BCCI), Powered by BrandZ by hosting a webinar on January 22^nd, 2014.

With more than 80 members, The CCMCA's Total Market Summit was the first industry event to provide clarity about the new emerging industry vertical. Millward Brown shared initial findings of the Brand Cross-Cultural Index Powered by BrandZ™ at the inaugural September launch event. "Our membership base represents a broad section of the marketing and communications industry leaders. When the BCCI was shared at the September Total Market Summit, it was met with open arms as it demonstrates the value of the new marketplace and the implications of a brand's value by not fully investing and connecting with the new marketplace," said Jeffrey Bowman, Founder and Chairman of the CCMCA and Senior Partner, Managing Director at Ogilvy & Mather.

"Historically CEOs and CFOs gave quarterly and annual earnings reports based on how their regions performed.  Given the growth of the multicultural audience within the US where 80% of all population growth will come from the multicultural consumer segment, should brands with a significant presence in the US also report how well they are penetrating the hyper growth consumer segments? It begs the question. The Brand Cross-Cultural Index, Powered by BrandZ™ helps me understand the amount of shareholder value being left on the table, said James Dix, Vice President, Equity Research, Wedbush Securities, Inc. who spoke at the CCMCA Total Market Summit.

The Cross-Cultural Marketing and Communications Association (The CCMCA) mission is to provide Total Market Enterprise™ (TME) awareness, training, education and certification for brands, enterprise organization and education and government institutions. During their launch event, the Association introduced the framework for which brands are assessed, enterprise gap analysis and TME certification criteria. "Because the Total Market industry vertical is emerging, there is a lot of confusion in the terminology, enterprise governance, education and standards, I joined the CCMCA as an advisor with the ambition of providing clarity and consistency for the industry. The total market industry vertical is a refreshing way of viewing our industry and it is reflective of the total marketplace, said Thomas Bartley, Head of Retail, Google."

"Kimberly-Clark is on the forefront of this new reality with multicultural babies accounting for nearly 50% of that population.  We became a founding member of The CCMCA because of their mission and innovative approach to Total Market Enterprise™ (TME) alignment. The Brand Cross-Cultural Index Powered by BrandZ™ will help us understand our brand value and assess how we continue to build value across the Kimberly – Clark enterprise. There is a lot of momentum with the Total Market approach and The CCMCA is a resource for embedding the approach for our enterprise, said, Lizette Williams, Sr. Brand Manager, Huggies Multicultural Strategy.

The CCMCA is the first industry association dedicated to the education and acceleration of the Total Market business vertical. In 2014 The CCMCA will host their first CMO Total Market awards and ideas luncheon, their Second Annual Total Market Conference and launch their Total Market Enterprise™ (TME) assessment and certification programs. To register for the January 22, 2014 webinar or obtain more information about partnering or joining The CCMCA, visit www.theccmca.org.

About The Cross-Cultural Marketing and Communications Association
Founded in 2013, The CCMCA is the first and leading global marketing and communications industry association that provide total market industry vertical training, education and certification. With over 80 members in the United States, Mexico and Australia across retail, technology, advertising, education, beverage and consumer industry categories, its focus is helping brand prepare for the new marketplace.  Headquartered in New York, New York, it is the largest association focused on the Total Market Industry vertical.  For more information about the CCMCA and the BCCI webinar go to www.theccmca.org.  Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About Wedbush Securities
Founded in 1955, Wedbush Securities is a leading investment firm that provides brokerage, clearing, investment banking, equity research, public finance, fixed income sales and trading, and asset management to individual, institutional and issuing clients. Headquartered in Los Angeles, with over 100 registered offices, the firm focuses on relentless service, client financial safety, continuity, and advanced technology. Wedbush Securities is the largest subsidiary of holding company WEDBUSH, Inc., which also includes affiliated firms Wedbush Bank, Wedbush Capital Partners, Wedbush Opportunity Partners, Wedbush Asset Management and Lime Brokerage LLC. Follow us on Twitter @Wedbush.

About Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark Corp. (NYSE: KMB) and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Every day, nearly a quarter of the world's population trust K-C's brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in more than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more about the Company's 141-year history of innovation, visit www.kimberly-clark.com or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.  

SOURCE Cross Cultural Marketing and Communications Association