About The National American Advertising Federation & District 12
The American Advertising Federation (AAF) Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AAF is the oldest national advertising trade association and represents 50,000 professionals in the advertising industry. The AAF has a national network of 200 ad clubs located in ad communities across the country. Through its 215 college chapters, the AAF provides 6,500 advertising students with real-world case studies and recruitment connections to corporate America through the National Student Advertising Competition. The AAF also has 130 blue-chip corporate members that are advertisers, agencies and media companies, comprising the nation’s leading brands and corporations.
AAF Membership
Your membership with the AAF connects you to the entire advertising community and provides you with great opportunities for networking, education and valuable discounts. AAF educates members on the latest trends in advertising, marketing and government issues with a variety of annual programs. Attendance at the AAF National Conference, Joint Government Affairs Conference, Legislative Training Sessions and the Mosaic Forum provide members with the information necessary to stay current and competitive in the industry. AAF membership allows members access to discounts on the tools that are needed to stay current and successful in the industry. Special discounts are available to AAF members for services ranging from subscriptions to trade publications to shipping to web and telecommunication services.
All AAF Metro Phoenix members are automatically enrolled in the national organization and receive member benefits and communications.
AAF Mission
The American Advertising Federation protects and promotes the well-being of advertising. This goal is accomplished through a unique, nationally coordinated grassroots network of advertisers, agencies, media companies, local advertising clubs and college chapters. James Edmund Datri is the current President of the American Advertising Federation. Datri succeeded former president, Wally Synder, and is the third president in the AAF’s 100 year history. Before his AAF presidency, Datri, an attorney, was a partner in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery in McDermott’s Government Strategies Practice Group, based in Washington, D.C. He is a 1992 Harvard Law graduate, and served as executive director of the Democratic Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2003 to 2005
District 12
Across the country, there are a series of Districts that govern the local ad clubs. AAF Metro Phoenix is part of District 12, which includes New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and El Paso, TX.
District 12 Mission: The purpose of this organization shall be to develop cooperation among the Advertising Federations and Clubs within the District for mutual aid, to further the development of advertising within the District, and to promote the activities recommended by the American Advertising Federation. •
The District ADDY’s competition is handled by D12 representatives and the competition is exclusive to the states listed above; winners go on to compete at the national level.