ANA To Acquire DMA, Forming Largest MARCOM Trade Group in U.S.

The ANA (Association of National Advertisers), one of the oldest and most venerated trade association in the marketing industry, announced that it is acquiring another leading trade group, the Data & Marketing Association (formerly the Direct Marketing Association).

The move was approved today by the board of directors of each organization, subject to formal approval of the voting members of the DMA. The integration is scheduled to be completed as of July 1, 2018, and will create the single largest trade association in the U.S. devoted to serving all aspects of marketing.

After voting this morning, our board has approved the acquisition of @DMA_USA, creating the single largest U.S. trade group devoted to marketing and advertising. You can read more here: https://t.co/OOHTMl3e5T pic.twitter.com/ig3klMMNIh

— ANAmarketers (@ANAmarketers) May 31, 2018

The combined enterprise includes a diverse membership group of leading national advertisers, advertising agencies, media companies, law firms, consultancies, ad tech and advertising companies, and marketing solution and service providers. The collective membership in the merged organization will include 2,000 corporate enterprises representing 20,000 brands and engaging 150,000 industry professionals.

“The combination of these two venerable institutions brings immense value to both member bases, as they will share a wide array of valuable resources and leadership platforms,” said ANA CEO Bob Liodice. “The ANA/DMA collaboration creates a dynamic new entity dedicated to comprehensively serving virtually every aspect of marketing with distinction and professionalism. The ANA is particularly enthused at the potential for enhancing consumer engagement and business value through innovative, data-driven marketing.”

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A post shared by ANA (@anamarketers) on Mar 22, 2018 at 2:09pm PDT

Liodice said that under the terms of the agreement, the DMA will become an ANA division to be headed by DMA CEO Tom Benton. This unit will serve both membership bases with a robust network of educational and professional development resources channeled through the DMA’s strategic center for data-driven excellence. The two groups will convene a combined, exclusive leadership team with a focus on identifying and implementing data-driven initiatives to advance the industry and drive growth.

“The ANA and DMA memberships are composed of the most talented and professional advertising and marketing organizations in the world. The combination of these two associations will provide all DMA and ANA members with the power to responsibly guide data-driven marketing that delivers value to consumers and customers,” said Benton.