Renowned Marketing Trade Association ANA Moves Forward to Acquire DMA

The Association of National Advertisers, one of the oldest and most reputable U.S. trade associations in the marketing industry is on the verge of acquiring another well-known marketing trade group, the Data & Marketing Association, formerly known as the Direct Marketing Association.

According to a press release from the ANA, the acquisition was approved on May 31 by the board of directors from both organizations, but is subject to formal approval by the DMA’s voting members. The integration of both leading organizations is scheduled to be complete by July 1, which will result in the development of the largest trade association in the U.S.

Credit: ANA

“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. 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.” — Bob Liodice, CEO of the ANA

Under the terms of the acquisition, the DMA will be converted into a division of the ANA, which will be spearheaded by Tom Benton, CEO of the DMA. The new division “will serve membership bases with a robust network of education and professional development resources channeled through the DMA’s strategic center for data-driven excellence,” Liodice said. He continued further by saying that the two groups will convene a combined, exclusive leadership team with a focus on identifying and implementing data-driven initiatives to advance industry and growth.

As part of the agreement, the DMA’s Nonprofit Federation and Email Experience Council will operate within the ANA framework, as it has within the DMA.

Resulting from the acquisition, members from both associations will receive a number of benefits, which have been outlined by both Liodice and Benton.

• Shared resources and assets to build a data-driven marketing community
• Greater access to education, training and professional development initiatives for member advancement and recognition
• New opportunities for members to share knowledge beyond existing communities and committees
• Optimized research capabilities for sharper insights and innovation
• Codification of data-driven marketing standards and certifications to deliver superior marketing experiences that exceed business and consumer expectations
• Combined thought leadership to address data privacy, security and identity issues for future generations
• Advancing the development of new technology platforms to energize brand and business building efforts in the marketing ecosystem.

Furthermore, the acquisition marks the next step in the ANA’s evolution and long-term growth plans (and follows previous successful acquisitions made in recent years), which include:

• The Word of Mouth Marketing Association, the leader in ethical word-of-mouth and influencer marketing practices (January 2018)
• The Advertising Educational Foundation, which is focused on bridging the academic and brand marketing communities (July 2015)
• The Business Marketing Association, which focuses exclusively on business-to-business marketing (December 2014)
• The Brand Activation Association, which emphasizes optimal practices in experiential, influencer, content, relationship, promotion, and shopper marketing (July 2014).

Credit: DMA

“Data and technology evolutions have completely reshaped today’s modern business practices. Now is the ideal time for these leading associations to come together to bring enhanced consumer focus, responsibility, research, education and advocacy to the industry.” — Benton

Stay tuned for more information of the ANA/DMA acquisition.