Value of AAF Membership

What does AAF membership mean to you? Each Ad Club member is also a member of the American Advertising Federation. Below are the top reasons why the AAF is valuable to each and every member.

The AAF is the industry's premier organization in preparing young people to enter the advertising industry. Programs include the National Student Advertising Competition, the Mosaic Career Fairs and the Corporate Recruiter Program, all of which will keep the advertising talent pool thriving.

The AAF is a community. It is a unique organization focused on collaboration. Clients, agencies, research and media collaborating, bringing them "together under one umbrella." National and local organizations collaborating. Students and professionals collaborating.

The AAF isn't exclusionary; it's unifying and inclusive. The organization provides a true support structure that is inclusive of everyone—the clients, the small local agencies, the giants in the industry and the media companies, including online platforms. No issue is too daunting or too trivial to address. What that means for members is that it opens up networking and business relationships exponentially. The result offers a greater understanding of industry issues and opportunities.

The AAF promotes diversity in advertising by encouraging the recruitment of people of diverse cultures. No industry group has made a more conscientious effort in programs to celebrate diversity in the advertising business. The Mosaic Center on Multiculturalism, the Mosaic Awards, the Most Promising Minority Students Program and the Mosaic Vendor Fair are just a few examples.

Government Affairs is not unlike insurance. You don't think about it until you need it. And the AAF does a great job of promoting and protecting advertising at all levels of government through its grassroots activities. With privacy issues on the horizon, this will become an important resource for this industry in 2008.

The AAF honors excellence in our industry, via the Advertising Hall of Fame, the Advertising Hall of Achievement, the ADDY Awards and the Mosaic Awards. These programs are relevant to all AAF members as each program recognizes AAF members' peers and role models who have had an effect on many of our careers.

AAF offers a wide variety of member discounts, including website hosting, rental cars, shipping, publication subsrciptions, insurance, and industry events. Click here for a full list.

The AAF SmartBrief is an opt-in e-news service available free (www.smartbrief.com/aaf) to AAF members that delivers the most essential advertising news of the day.

The AAF is an important resource for local ad clubs, providing assistance with club recruitment and retention, local awards programs, speakers and even member discounts for The New York Times, Fedex, Advertising Age, Mediaweek and more.

The AAF Job Bank is a great resource for both employees looking for a job in advertising or for employers looking for qualified prospects or even interns. (Check it out at www.aaf.org/jobs).

The AAF National Conference provides outstanding opportunities to learn about the latest trends in advertising, marketing, media and government issues. It is stimulating and a chance to network with other AAF members from local clubs and large corporations.

The AAF is a great 100-year-old brand. It is highly respected from New England to Silicon Valley and everywhere in between. The AAF Brand can open doors for local ad clubs to bring in large corporate members. The AAF Brand can provide traction in securing top industry speakers to keynote a successful luncheon meeting. The AAF Brand can galvanize the entire industry to fight a local ad tax.