National

President and CEO: Steve Pacheco

General info: Club Services Department at (800) 999-2231 

The Unifying Voice

The American Advertising Federation (AAF), the nation’s oldest national advertising trade association, and the only association representing all facets of the advertising industry, is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and acts as the “Unifying Voice for Advertising.” The AAF also has 15 district operations, each located in and representing a different region of the nation. The AAF’s membership is comprised of nearly 100 blue chip corporate members comprising the nation’s leading advertisers, advertising agencies, and media companies; a national network of nearly 200 local federations, representing 40,000 advertising professionals, located in ad communities across the country; and more than 200 AAF college chapters, with over 6,500 student members. The AAF operates a host of programs and initiatives including the Advertising Hall of Fame, the ADDY Awards, the National Student Advertising Competition, the Mosaic Center on Multiculturalism, and summer Ad Camps for high school students in Chicago and Washington. National AAF website. 

AAF Mission

The American Advertising Federation protects and promotes the well-being of advertising. We accomplish this through a unique, nationally coordinated grassroots network of advertisers, agencies, media companies, local advertising clubs and college chapters.

Here’s what the AAF does:

• Brings members together to yield creative business solutions.
• Protects and promotes advertising at all levels of government through grassroots activities.
• Educates members on the latest trends in technology, creativity and marketing.
• Provides programs to assist local association volunteer leadership.
• Presents the industry with its future leaders.
• Honors advertising excellence.
• Promotes diversity in advertising by encouraging the recruitment of people of diverse cultures.
• Applies the communication skills of its members to help solve community concerns.

To accomplish our objectives, AAF initiatives include the following:

• ADMERICA! (AAF National Conference)
• Advertising Hall of Fame
• Advertising Hall of Achievement
• ADDY® Awards
• Government Affairs Conference
• Mosaic Awards
• Mosaic Career Fairs
• Most Promising Minority Students Program
• Mosaic Principles & Practical Guidelines
• National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC)
• Thought Leadership Forum

The System

AAF local ad clubs are categorized by geographic location and membership size. These categories help to ensure that all local members are well- represented by delegates to AAF’s national board of directors.

AAF Regions

Each AAF local ad club falls within one of three geographic regions: Western, Central or Eastern. Each region collectively elects a regional chair to serve on the AAF board of directors. The regional chair represents the concerns of all the clubs and federations in his or her region.

AAF Districts

AAF districts serve another vital role: They set the framework for well-known industry programs like the ADDY® Awards and the National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC). In each program, district-wide competitions yield top contenders, who then advance on to a national round.

The AAF map is then further broken down into 15 multi-state districts. Each district elects a district governor to serve on the AAF Council of Governors (COG). Members of the COG also serve on the AAF board of directors, representing the interests and concerns of local ad club members.

AAF Divisions

AAF local associations are categorized by size as follows:

Division I – 500+ members

Division II – 250 to 499 members

Division III – 100 to 249 members

Division IV – under 100 members

Division V – Ad 2 Clubs (regardless of membership size)