On May 31st, the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) announced that it acquired the DMA (Data & Marketing Association).
The ANA, which consists of client-side marketers and marketing services providers, provides leadership that advances the interests of marketers. The DMA (formerly the Direct Marketing Association) advances the data-driven marketing industry and hosts the annual &THEN conference. According to the ANA, as a result of the merger, the organization’s membership will consist of 2,000 corporate enterprises representing 20,000 brands and engaging 150,000 industry professionals, making it the “single-largest trade association in the U.S. devoted to serving all aspects of marketing.”
DMA will be a unit of ANA and will be headed by DMA CEO Tom Benton. All DMA members will immediately become ANA members, Benton said in an interview with Target Marketing. The DMA’s Nonprofit Federation and Email Experience Council (EEC) will continue to operate as before.
The merger is expected to be completed by July 1.