2016 AMA Letter From CEO Russ Klein

The AMA’s unique strength is that we are a "community of communities." In North America alone the AMA is of service to over 17 million marketing and sales professionals. Each year nearly three million marketers engage with the AMA seeking answers they can use. Delivering on this promise is the AMA's mantra, "Answers In Action."

The AMA is home of the most highly regarded marketing journals in the world; where the academia’s foremost thought-leaders publish evidence-based research influencing marketing practice.

This past year the AMA has conducted thousands of live and virtual events spanning all disciplines within marketing. Increasingly these events will be inspired by the industry’s definitive intellectual agenda anchored by “The Seven Big Problems” confronting marketers.

The AMA Global Support Center relocated to a contemporary and collaborative workplace now open to all AMA members as your home away from home anytime you’re in Chicago. I hope you’ll visit us in the coming year to see your AMA at work.

The AMA has also invested heavily in what we call the AMA Community Advantage. Ultimately it is the AMA Community Advantage that sets us apart. 

• We revere the marketer. 
• We know the marketer. 
• We are stronger together. 
• We think ahead for the marketer. 
• We are bound by shared values. 

Looking ahead to the first quarter of 2017 there are several initiatives that will enhance your access to "Answers In Action" and ensure the AMA Community Advantage is an experience you can feel great about. 

Our customers and members expect a frictionless, personalized user experience while acquiring knowledge whether it's "just in time or "just in case." In January, our website ama.org will be transformed into a more modern, personalized, and engaging fusion between your digital and physical worlds.

Increasingly the AMA is becoming a badge of credibility on which the industry relies for "what's next?" Change is now so rapid that relevant knowledge almost evaporates the moment you obtain it. Moreover, employers want a warranty that the talent they are investing in is up to date and credentialed. Conversely marketers are looking to the AMA for up-to-date knowledge and accreditation that will distinguish their performance and differentiate them in their career strategies. In February, the AMA is launching a learning path focused on Digital Marketing in our updated Certification 2.0 platform.

The list goes on. There's a lot going on at the American Marketing Association. We hope to see you in the coming year as we redouble our pledge to deliver "Answers In Action” and the AMA Community Advantage. If you’re a marketer, the AMA is for you.

Positively,

Russ Klein
CEO, American Marketing Association