Definition
The American Marketing Association (AMA) is a nonprofit professional association for people who work, teach, and study in marketing. AMA says it began in 1937 and describes itself today as the “essential community for marketers.” Its network includes more than 70 local professional chapters and 320 college campuses across North America. (American Marketing Association)
In marketing, AMA plays a broad professional and educational role. It supports practitioners, academics, and students through training, conferences, publications, certifications, chapters, and ethical guidance. AMA is also notable for maintaining a widely cited formal definition of marketing: the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. (American Marketing Association)
There is no formula for calculating AMA because it is an organization, not a metric. The more relevant question is how a marketer or organization uses AMA resources to build capability, stay current, and connect theory with practice. (American Marketing Association)
How it relates to marketing
AMA relates to marketing by helping define the discipline, develop talent, and spread current thinking across both industry and academia. Unlike organizations focused mainly on advertisers, publishers, or measurement vendors, AMA spans the full profession, including students, professors, researchers, and practicing marketers. (American Marketing Association)
That broad role matters because marketing is both an academic field and an operating function. AMA sits between those worlds by publishing academic journals, offering professional certification, and running events and training for real-world marketing work such as digital marketing, brand management, and market research. (American Marketing Association)
How to utilize AMA
Marketers typically use AMA for professional development, networking, research access, and shared standards. Practical use cases include attending conferences, joining a local chapter, accessing journals and articles, earning the PCM® certification, and using AMA’s definitions and ethics resources to align internal language and practices. (American Marketing Association)
Organizations can also use AMA group membership and training programs to build team capability. AMA positions its membership and event offerings as ways to help marketers stay current on trends, strengthen practical skills, and connect with peers and experts. (American Marketing Association)
Comparison to similar organizations
| Organization | Primary role | How it differs from AMA |
|---|---|---|
| American Marketing Association (AMA) | Professional association for marketers, academics, and students | Broadest professional scope across education, research, training, chapters, journals, and certification. (American Marketing Association) |
| Association of National Advertisers (ANA) | Trade association primarily serving advertisers and brand-side marketing leaders | More focused on marketer advocacy, industry issues, and enterprise marketing practice than on the combined academic-professional community. (American Marketing Association) |
| Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) | Trade association for the digital advertising ecosystem | More focused on digital media, advertising industry guidance, and ecosystem coordination than on broad professional development across marketing as a discipline. (American Marketing Association) |
| Media Rating Council (MRC) | Accredits media measurement products and services | Focused on auditing and accreditation of measurement services rather than education, journals, chapters, or certification. (American Marketing Association) |
Best practices
AMA is most useful when teams treat it as a capability-building resource rather than just a membership badge. The strongest use cases are training newer marketers, giving experienced practitioners structured access to current thinking, and creating a common vocabulary around marketing concepts and ethics. (American Marketing Association)
It is also useful to combine AMA’s practitioner resources with its academic resources. That approach helps organizations balance immediate execution needs with longer-term thinking on consumer behavior, research methods, digital platforms, and strategy. (American Marketing Association)
Future trends
AMA’s current programming suggests continued emphasis on AI, digital platforms, social media, social commerce, platform regulation, and practical marketing analytics. Its 2026 AI workshop series focused on using AI to research, plan, create, and measure marketing, and its 2026 Winter Academic Conference call highlighted topics such as digital advertising, influencer marketing, e-commerce, platform algorithms, regulation, and emerging technologies including AI. (American Marketing Association)
That points to AMA remaining relevant as a bridge between academic research and applied marketing work in areas where the field is shifting quickly. The association’s likely future value is in helping marketers translate new technologies and changing market conditions into usable skills, shared language, and professional standards. (American Marketing Association)
Related Terms
- Marketing
- Marketing Research
- Professional Certified Marketer (PCM®)
- Brand Management
- Digital Marketing
- Marketing Ethics
- Consumer Behavior
- Market Research
- Association of National Advertisers (ANA)
- Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)
- Media Rating Council (MRC)