American Marketing Association
A professional association that supports marketing practitioners, educators, researchers, and students through communities, education, certification, publications, and events.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
The American Marketing Association (AMA) is a United States-based professional association serving people who work in, teach, study, or otherwise engage with marketing. Established in 1937 through the merger of the National Association of Marketing Teachers and the American Marketing Society, it developed from earlier efforts to bring greater structure and academic rigor to the study of advertising and marketing. The association operates from Chicago and has historically combined professional development with scholarly publishing, student participation, local chapters, and the promotion of marketing knowledge. The AMA’s constituency includes practitioners, consultants, educators, researchers, students, and organizations interested in marketing strategy and practice. Its activities have included membership services, conferences and educational programming, professional resources, certification, local professional chapters, collegiate chapters, and recognition programs. The association also sponsors Alpha Mu Alpha, a collegiate marketing honor society. The AMA’s professional network has included dozens of professional chapters and hundreds of collegiate chapters in the United States; a membership figure of approximately 30,000 was reported in reference material for 2012, but a current membership total is not established here. Publishing is a central part of the organization’s identity. AMA-associated journals and periodicals have supported both academic research and practical discussion across general marketing, marketing research, public policy, international marketing, interactive marketing, and industry news. Its publication portfolio includes the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Journal of International Marketing, Journal of Interactive Marketing, and Marketing News. These publications have helped connect marketing scholarship with issues faced by businesses, governments, nonprofit organizations, and consumers. A major professional offering is the Professional Certified Marketer program, commonly known as PCM, which provides certification pathways in selected areas of marketing knowledge and practice. The association also offers learning materials and career-oriented resources intended to help professionals develop skills as marketing disciplines evolve. Its scope has expanded alongside changes in marketing technology, data use, customer experience, digital channels, and international commerce, although the specific products and programs available can change over time. The AMA is governed by a board of directors elected by members and supported by appointed councils and professional staff. It is an independent professional association rather than a publicly traded company or a consumer product brand. Its positioning is that of a convening and knowledge institution for the marketing field: it connects practitioners and academics, disseminates research, supports professional standards and development, and maintains communities through chapters and educational networks.
History
The institutional roots of the American Marketing Association reach back to the early twentieth century, when educators began organizing around the teaching and systematic study of advertising. At a 1915 convention of the Associated Advertising Clubs of the World, advertising teachers established the National Association of Teachers of Advertising. The organization’s remit gradually broadened as advertising education became more closely connected with distribution, selling, economics, consumer behavior, and other subjects. It subsequently adopted the names National Association of Teachers of Marketing & Advertising and National Association of Teachers of Marketing, reflecting the widening meaning of the field. A separate organization, the American Marketing Society, was formed roughly fifteen years later with a more explicit interest in marketing as a science and in improving the practical efficiency of marketing. Its first president, Paul Nystrom, is associated with concerns about the cost of marketing, criticism directed at marketing practices, and the need for useful tools for practitioners. The two organizations developed complementary roles: one was rooted in marketing education and teaching, while the other emphasized the systematic study and application of marketing knowledge. The organizations collaborated on the Journal of Marketing, which began joint publication in 1936. In 1937 they merged to create the American Marketing Association. The new association inherited both an educational network and a research-oriented mission, allowing it to serve universities, marketing professionals, and the growing number of organizations treating marketing as a distinct management discipline. In its early years the AMA was housed at the University of Illinois. As its professional staff and activities expanded, the association eventually relocated its headquarters to Chicago. The postwar development of marketing brought increasing specialization in marketing research, public policy, international markets, consumer behavior, and later interactive and digital channels. The AMA responded partly through its publication program. The Journal of Marketing Research was launched in 1964, creating a dedicated scholarly outlet for empirical and methodological work. In 1990, the association acquired the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing from the University of Michigan. In 1997, it acquired the Journal of International Marketing from Michigan State University. These additions extended the association’s reach beyond general marketing theory and management into public affairs and cross-border marketing. The association’s role also developed through professional chapters, collegiate chapters, educational events, membership resources, and certification. It has provided a structure through which local practitioners and students can participate in marketing communities, while its journals and conferences have connected academic research with business practice. Alpha Mu Alpha, a collegiate marketing honor society sponsored by the AMA, represents another link between the association and university marketing education. In 2022, the AMA acquired the Journal of Interactive Marketing. This move reflected the increasing importance of digital interaction, data-enabled engagement, online channels, and technology-mediated customer relationships within the marketing discipline. Across its history, the association has therefore operated on two connected fronts: it has acted as a professional community for people working in marketing and as a publisher and convenor supporting the development of marketing knowledge. The AMA is governed by a member-elected board of directors, with appointed councils and professional staff supporting its programs. It is not a listed corporation and does not operate as a consumer-facing product company. Its continuing identity is that of an independent professional association whose activities combine professional development, certification, research dissemination, education, community building, and the maintenance of networks for practitioners, educators, researchers, and students.
- 2022
Acquisition of the Journal of Interactive Marketing
[1]The AMA added the Journal of Interactive Marketing to its publication portfolio, reflecting the growing importance of interactive and digital marketing.
- 1997
Acquisition of the Journal of International Marketing
[1]The association acquired the journal from Michigan State University and strengthened its coverage of international marketing.
- 1990
Acquisition of the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing
[1]The AMA acquired the journal from the University of Michigan, adding a dedicated public-policy perspective to its publication portfolio.
- 1964
Launch of the Journal of Marketing Research
[1]The AMA launched the Journal of Marketing Research, expanding its scholarly publishing program into empirical and methodological marketing research.
- 1937
Creation of the American Marketing Association
[1]The National Association of Marketing Teachers and the American Marketing Society merged to establish the AMA.
- 1936
Joint publication of the Journal of Marketing
[1]The two predecessor organizations jointly published the Journal of Marketing before their formal merger.
- 1915
Formation of the National Association of Teachers of Advertising
[1]Advertising educators organized the predecessor body that later evolved into the National Association of Marketing Teachers and ultimately contributed to the formation of the AMA.
Products and positioning
Professional association and knowledge institution for marketing practitioners, educators, researchers, and students.
Professional certification
AMA Professional Certified Marketer
The Professional Certified Marketer program is the AMA’s principal professional certification offering. It is intended to recognize knowledge and capability in defined areas of marketing and supports career development for practitioners seeking a formal professional credential.
Academic publication · 1936
Journal of Marketing
The Journal of Marketing is a long-running scholarly publication associated with the AMA. It provides a forum for research on marketing theory, strategy, management, markets, customers, and related questions in the development and application of marketing knowledge.
Academic publication · 1964
Journal of Marketing Research
Launched by the AMA in 1964, the Journal of Marketing Research focuses on research methods, empirical analysis, consumer and market data, and the development of evidence-based marketing knowledge.
Academic publication
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing
This journal addresses the relationship between marketing and public policy, including questions involving markets, consumers, regulation, social impact, and the responsibilities of marketing institutions. The AMA acquired it from the University of Michigan in 1990.
Academic publication
Journal of International Marketing
The Journal of International Marketing covers marketing across national borders and the strategic, cultural, institutional, and operational issues involved in international markets. The AMA acquired it from Michigan State University in 1997.
Academic publication
Journal of Interactive Marketing
The Journal of Interactive Marketing focuses on marketing conducted through interactive, digital, and technology-enabled environments. It became part of the AMA’s publication portfolio through an acquisition announced in 2022.
Professional periodical
Marketing News
Marketing News is a professional publication associated with the AMA. It is oriented toward developments, perspectives, and issues relevant to people working in marketing rather than serving solely as an academic research journal.
Community and membership network
AMA chapters and collegiate chapters
The AMA supports professional chapters and collegiate chapters that provide local and campus-based opportunities for networking, education, events, and participation in the marketing profession. Reference material reported 76 professional chapters and 250 collegiate chapters in the United States.
Brand decisions
2022
Acquire the Journal of Interactive MarketingM&ABackground
Digital channels, interactive media, and technology-enabled customer relationships had become established areas of marketing research and practice.
Action taken
The AMA acquired the Journal of Interactive Marketing.
Aftermath
The acquisition strengthened the AMA’s publication presence in interactive and digitally mediated marketing.
1997
Acquire the Journal of International MarketingM&ABackground
International commerce and cross-border marketing had become increasingly important areas of marketing research and practice.
Action taken
The AMA acquired the Journal of International Marketing from Michigan State University.
Aftermath
The acquisition expanded the association’s publication coverage to include a dedicated international marketing outlet.
1990
Acquire the Journal of Public Policy & MarketingM&ABackground
The AMA was broadening its publishing role beyond general marketing scholarship and sought stronger coverage of the relationship between marketing and public policy.
Action taken
The association acquired the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing from the University of Michigan.
Aftermath
The acquisition added a public-policy-oriented journal to the AMA’s academic publication portfolio.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Claremont Lincoln University marketing team wins AMA award[3]
Reported:
Claremont Lincoln University's marketing team won the American Marketing Association's Higher Education Marketing Team of the Year award, which was presented in Las Vegas the previous week.
Sources3 sources
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