Influencer Marketing Association

What Influencer Marketing Association does

The Influencer Marketing Association (IMA) is a non-profit trade organization founded in 2018 and headquartered in Atlanta, United States. It operates as the first official trade body for the influencer marketing sector, with a stated mission to define, grow, and protect influencer marketing practices across brands, agencies, platforms, and individual creators. IMA coordinates industry-wide ethical standards (including FTC compliance guidance), diversity and anti-racist practice education, and the development of measurement standards and benchmarks. The organization is led by Executive Director Jessica Thorpe and Director Sean Naegeli, with Cat Lincoln identified as Founder. A small leadership team runs the body without disclosed additional operational staff.

Name

Influencer Marketing Association

Legal name

Influencer Marketing Association

Website

https://influencermarketingassociation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Influencer Marketing Association is a 2018-founded, Atlanta-based non-profit trade organization that defines ethical standards, measurement benchmarks, and best practices for the influencer marketing industry across brands, agencies, platforms, and creators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

NAICS

Other Services Related to Advertising (541890)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Influencer Measurement, Attribution & Analytics (BPAFAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Influencer Compliance, Contracts & Rights Management (BPAFAHAJ), Influencer Campaign Operations & Managed Services (BPAFAHAF)

Keywords

• Influencer marketing standards
• Trade association services
• Industry measurement benchmarks
• Creator economy advocacy
• Marketing ethics guidelines

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership and Industry Participation: The association operates through membership and industry engagement, with organizations like VaynerMedia joining as members. Revenue generation is likely through membership fees, though specific pricing is not publicly disclosed.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Influencer Marketing Association is a nonprofit trade organization that defines, grows, and protects influencer marketing practices for brands, agencies, platforms, and creators. Its core offerings are industry standards-setting, a Data Consortium that produces measurement benchmarks in partnership with leading software platforms, and member-facing resources such as the Creator Report on cost dynamics and deal terms.

Product overview

The Influencer Marketing Association (IMA) is a trade organization established in 2018 as the first official trade body for the influencer marketing industry. Rather than a software product, the IMA offers a portfolio of industry-facing services including the Data Consortium (partnering with platforms like Mavrick and Gen.video for industry benchmarking), Resources (research reports on creator costs and deal terms), a Blog for industry insights, and a Newsletter for member communications. The organization focuses on defining industry standards, promoting ethical practices, and growing the influencer marketing sector through strategic pillars of ethics, diversity, standardization, authenticity, transparency, human-first approach, and growth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Data Consortium A collaboration with leading software companies (founding sponsors Mavrck and gen.video) that develops data practices and measurement standards for influencer marketing, providing benchmarks that help marketers evaluate campaign impact across companies, social platforms, and influencer tiers. Membership requires software company status and executive leadership involvement.
• Resources / Creator Report Industry research reports and insights produced by the IMA, including a forthcoming Creator Report that provides deep dives into cost dynamics and deal terms across the influencer marketing spectrum.

Quantifiable outcome

• Data Consortium established with leading platforms providing benchmarks across companies, social platforms and influencer tiers

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Digital Creators AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026Co-supported the APPG for Digital Creators inquiry report presenting findings on young people's engagement with online creators. Partner in advocating for the creator economy.
• APPG for Digital CreatorsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026Cross-party group of UK MPs supported by IMA in launching an inquiry report on creator economy. IMA contributed to shifting political discussion toward economic and social benefits of creators.
• VaynerMediacoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 May 2025VaynerMedia officially joined the Influencer Marketing Trade Body, becoming the latest agency to align with the organization's mission to promote responsible practice, transparency, and collaboration across the influencer marketing sector.
• MavrckcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured as founding sponsor of the Data Consortium. Leading influencer marketing platform partnering with IMA to provide unbiased, data-driven analysis of the business of influencer marketing.
• gen.videocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured as founding sponsor of the Data Consortium. Partnered with IMA to combine data sets spanning companies, social platforms and influencer tiers to bring benchmarks and baselines to practitioners.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ANA (Association of National Advertisers): Large, established trade association for the marketer/brand side of advertising, providing industry research, standards, and advocacy. Comparable as a peer trade body but operating across all advertising disciplines rather than specializing in influencer marketing.

Regional players

• ISBA (Incorporated Society of British Advertisers): UK trade body representing brand-side advertisers, focusing on media standards, agency contracts, and cross-industry collaboration. Comparable to IMA in trade-body mission, with overlap given IMA's UK-focused APPG engagement.
• IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising): UK trade body for advertising agencies, offering qualifications, policy advocacy, and industry research. Comparable to IMA as a region-specific trade association, but focused on the UK advertising ecosystem and broader agency membership.

Direct peers

• IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau): Established trade body that develops technical standards, measurement frameworks, and policy positions for the digital advertising industry. Highly comparable to IMA as a membership-based standards organization, but operating at a much larger scale across the broader digital advertising ecosystem.
• Mobile Marketing Association (MMA): Global trade association that similarly focuses on a single marketing sub-discipline (mobile), setting measurement standards, ethical guidelines, and industry research. Closely comparable to IMA in mission, structure, and vertical-specific standards-bearer role.
• 4A's (American Association of Advertising Agencies): US trade association representing advertising agencies with a remit to set best practices, advocate for members, and convene the agency ecosystem. Directly comparable to IMA as a trade body serving agencies and adjacent stakeholders in a marketing discipline.
• Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA): Global trade organization for digital agencies, producing thought leadership, best practices, and peer networking. Comparable to IMA as a membership-based trade body serving a defined digital marketing sub-vertical with a similar advocacy and standards orientation.
• Content Marketing Institute (CMI): Trade organization producing research, events, and training for the content marketing industry. Comparable to IMA in serving a defined marketing sub-discipline through education, benchmarking, and community, with a similarly membership-driven model.

Emerging players

• Influencer Marketing Hub: Research, education, and resource platform focused specifically on the influencer marketing industry, producing widely cited benchmarks and agency directories. Comparable to IMA as an influencer-marketing-specific knowledge resource, though operating as a media/research business rather than a member-funded trade body.

Others

• Winterberry Group: Specialist management consulting firm focused on advertising, marketing, and data-driven media. Comparable as an adjacent ecosystem participant that frequently advises trade bodies, agencies, and platforms on industry standards and growth strategy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Influencer Marketing Association