American Marketing Association

What American Marketing Association does

The American Marketing Association San Francisco Chapter (AMA SF) is a nonprofit professional membership association and regional chapter of the national American Marketing Association, founded in 1937 and serving the Bay Area marketing community for over 85 years. The chapter is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and operates with a lean 11-50 person headcount, generating revenue through professional membership dues ($169/year), corporate group memberships, tiered event sponsorships ($250-$5,000), the Excellence in Marketing Awards (EIMAs) entry fees, and ticket/event revenue. Its core products include membership programs (Professional, Corporate, Collegiate), signature events (Marketing Hackathon, Playmakers Sports Marketing Summit, monthly content events, workshops, and the EIMAs), content media (the Misadventures in Marketing podcast now in Season 3 and a blog), and professional development programs (Mentorship Program, Externship Academy, Career Center job board).

AMA SF serves a base of approximately 300 paying professional members while reaching nearly 9,000 Bay Area marketers via its monthly email newsletter, leveraging the national AMA.org platform for self-serve membership sign-ups with chapter designation. The chapter distributes programs through a hybrid model of in-person Bay Area events, virtual training sessions, direct corporate sales, and a collegiate chapter network of 307 affiliated chapters across the US and Canada that feed a student-to-professional pipeline. Its value proposition centers on access to industry knowledge resources (white papers, research reports, archived webcasts, Marketing News publication), 30% discounts on Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) certification, networking with senior Bay Area marketing executives, and credentialing through awards and corporate recognition.

The organization differentiates primarily through brand recognition (largest professional marketing association globally, 85+ year chapter history), the EIMAs heritage (40+ years, past winners including Apple, Google, Netflix, PayPal, Waymo, Williams-Sonoma), and geographic positioning in the Bay Area innovation hub, which grants natural access to senior marketing talent at Lyft, Atlassian, Splunk, RunLLM, UnitedHealth Group, and other major employers. Sponsorship revenue underwrites operations, with a diversified roster spanning adtech (StackAdapt, Nativo, Seedtag), connected TV and mobile (GSTV, Kargo), branding (Chromium), sports media (iHeartMedia, NBC Sports Bay Area, Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Giants), and rideshare (Lyft).

Name

American Marketing Association

Legal name

American Marketing Association San Francisco

Website

https://amasf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The American Marketing Association San Francisco Chapter (AMA SF) is a volunteer-run nonprofit professional membership association serving Bay Area marketers since 1937. It delivers events, workshops, awards (EIMAs), a podcast, mentorship, and corporate sponsorship programs to ~300 members and ~9,000 email-reachable marketers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional & Association Conferences (MPAGAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK), Business, Entrepreneurship & Case Competitions (DECA-style, Pitch, Case) (EDAMAGAJ)

Keywords

• Professional marketing association
• Marketing events programs
• Marketing membership benefits
• Marketing awards recognition
• Marketing professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Membership Dues: Annual membership dues provide access to member-only content, training programs, industry publications including Marketing News, discounts on events and PCM certification, and networking opportunities with marketing professionals worldwide.
2. Corporate Group Memberships: Corporate membership program for organizations with 10+ marketing employees, offering group rates with 30% discount, local chapter benefits including seat on Corporate Membership Steering Committee, priority hosting of Special Interest Group events, and VIP guest passes.
3. Event Sponsorships: Tiered sponsorship packages (Annual Gold $5K, Silver $3.5K, Bronze $2K; Event-level packages from $250-$2,500) providing brand visibility through event signage, digital promotions, speaking/panel opportunities, and complimentary event passes to the Bay Area marketing community.
4. Excellence in Marketing Awards (EIMAs): Annual awards program with nomination fees ($50/entry for non-members) to cover judging and event costs. AMA SF members, 501c3 nonprofits, community nominees, and students receive fee waivers.
5. Externship Academy Program: Four-month externship program pairing externs with mentor marketing professionals for career development, currently recruiting volunteer roles for program administration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

AMA SF is a nonprofit professional membership association that sells individual, corporate and collegiate memberships ($169/year for professionals), runs tiered event sponsorships, and produces signature Bay Area programming including the Excellence in Marketing Awards (EIMAs), the Marketing Hackathon, the Playmakers Sports Marketing Summit, monthly events and workshops, the Misadventures in Marketing podcast, an Externship Academy, a Mentorship Program, and a Career Center job board. The chapter is the San Francisco regional extension of the national American Marketing Association and targets marketing professionals, corporate marketing teams, students, and sponsoring brands.

Product overview

The American Marketing Association San Francisco Chapter (AMA SF) is a professional membership organization, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of professional development programs, events, awards, and content/media properties. The core products include: membership programs (Professional, Corporate, Collegiate) providing access to resources and networking; signature events including the Marketing Hackathon, Playmakers Sports Marketing Summit, and Excellence in Marketing Awards (EIMAs); content media including the Misadventures in Marketing podcast and blog; career development programs such as Mentorship Program and Externship Academy; and a Career Center job board. These are service-oriented programs focused on professional development and community building within the Bay Area marketing community, not software products or technology platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Excellence in Marketing Awards (EIMAs): Annual marketing awards program recognizing the best of Bay Area marketing across multiple categories including campaigns, brands, and individual recognition.
• Misadventures in Marketing Podcast
• Playmakers
• Marketing Hackathon

Products and services

• Professional Membership Annual individual membership at $169 providing Bay Area marketing professionals with access to the national AMA content library (white papers, best practices, research reports, the AMA Marketer's Toolkit, 100+ archived webcasts), 30% discount on Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) certification, subscription to Marketing News and one specialty publication, discounts on AMA national and local events, and access to the Career Resource Center.
• Corporate Membership Group membership program for organizations with 10+ marketing employees offering a 30% group discount, a seat on the Corporate Membership Steering Committee, priority hosting of Special Interest Group events, 5 VIP guest passes, and company logo placement. Approximately 70% of dues are linked back to the AMA SF chapter.
• Collegiate Membership Reduced-fee annual student membership providing access to AMA resources, networking with local Bay Area marketing professionals, participation in the International Collegiate Conference (1,000+ students annually) and competitions, and a pathway to professional membership. Connected to 307 affiliated collegiate chapters across the US and Canada.
• Excellence in Marketing Awards (EIMAs) Annual marketing awards program recognizing the best of Bay Area marketing across 8+ categories. $50 per-entry nomination fee with waivers for AMA SF members, 501c3 nonprofits, community nominees, and students. Past winners include Apple, Google, Netflix, PayPal, Waymo, e.l.f. Beauty, Williams-Sonoma, and the San Francisco Symphony. Judged by Bay Area CMOs.
• Marketing Hackathon Annual three-hour marketing sprint where teams of marketers collaborate to build real marketing deliverables for Bay Area nonprofits. The only event of its kind in the AMA chapter network. Winning teams receive recognition and produce real assets for local causes (e.g., 2026 winners supported Berkeley small shops).
• Playmakers Sports Marketing Summit Annual sports marketing summit featuring leaders from Bay Area sports teams and brands (Lyft Ads, Golden State Warriors, Oakland Roots, Bay FC, Sephora, San Francisco Giants, NBC Sports Bay Area & California, The Athletic, Digitas, iHeartMedia, Life360 Ads) discussing sports partnerships, marketing trends, and emerging strategies. Scheduled for March 2026 at Lyft HQ.
• Misadventures in Marketing Podcast Three-season podcast about high-tech marketing in Silicon Valley hosted by veteran Silicon Valley marketing executives Peter Farago and Steve Haney, with editorial support from Peakbound Studios and Creative Comms. Covers AI, B2B marketing, channel strategy, agency resilience, and the evolving customer journey. Distributed on Spotify.
• Externship Academy Four-month program pairing college students, young professionals, and career changers with mentor marketing professionals for real-life marketing experience and career development. Currently recruiting volunteer roles for program administration.
• Mentorship Program Structured mentorship program connecting Bay Area marketers for career guidance and professional growth through one-on-one mentoring relationships.
• Career Center Online job board providing access to hundreds of marketing job postings, career tips, interview guidelines, and expert advice for AMA SF members and the Bay Area marketing community.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300 members with reach to 9,000 Bay Area marketers via email list
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WorkboxcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWebsite development and online marketing partner providing annual sponsorship and hosting services for AMA SF website. Workbox owner Eric Weidner serves as Immediate Past President of AMA SF. Since 1997, Workbox has designed and developed successful websites for technology companies, pharmaceuticals, and national product businesses.
• Lyft AdscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Rideshare Partner of AMA SF, hosting the Playmakers Sports Marketing Summit at Lyft HQ in March 2026. Lyft provides transportation solutions for event attendees and promotes AMA SF events through their advertising platform.
• StackAdaptminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Excellence in Marketing Awards 2025, providing advertising technology services for programmatic advertising and digital marketing campaigns.
• NativominorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Excellence in Marketing Awards 2025, providing content marketing and native advertising platform services.
• Media Now Interactive (MNI)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Excellence in Marketing Awards 2025, providing media advertising services based in Northern California.
• SeedtagminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Excellence in Marketing Awards 2025, providing contextual advertising technology.
• KargominorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Excellence in Marketing Awards 2025, providing mobile advertising and creative platform.
• GSTVminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Excellence in Marketing Awards 2025 and Connected TV advertising platform.
• Justin Chu PhotographyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIn-kind sponsor providing professional photography services for Excellence in Marketing Awards 2025.
• Peakbound StudiominorGTM or Marketing PartnerIn-kind sponsor providing video production services for Excellence in Marketing Awards 2025.
• Content Marketing WorldminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIn-kind sponsor providing promotional support and giveaways for Excellence in Marketing Awards 2025.
• Nasdaq Entrepreneurial CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated in San Francisco, serves as destination venue for entrepreneurs and innovators. Sits at corner of First and Howard street, near Moscone Center and Financial District, suitable for meetings, conferences, networking parties, and product launches.
• ChromiumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual sponsor helping formulate and implement strategic branding initiatives that improve top line and bottom line performance for clients.
• iHeartMediaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Playmakers Sports Marketing Summit, providing radio and multimedia platform for event promotion and marketing professional engagement.
• Golden State WarriorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured speaker organization at Playmakers Sports Marketing Summit, represented by VP Marketing & Operations Kim Trinidad.
• Oakland RootsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured speaker organization at Playmakers Sports Marketing Summit, represented by Co-Founder and CMO Edreece Arghandiwal.
• Bay FCminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured speaker organization at Playmakers Sports Marketing Summit, represented by Chief Revenue Officer Brenden Mallette.
• SephoraminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured speaker organization at Playmakers Sports Marketing Summit, represented by VP of Marketing Partnerships Celessa Baker.
• San Francisco GiantsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured speaker organization at Playmakers Sports Marketing Summit, represented by VP of Brand Development and Digital Media Bryan Srabian. CMO Rachel Heit also serves on EIMAs judging panel.
• Life360 AdsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Playmakers Sports Marketing Summit, providing location-based advertising platform services.
• NBC Sports Bay Area & CaliforniaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured speaker organization at Playmakers Sports Marketing Summit, represented by VP Creative and Strategic Marketing Alexandria Leavenworth.
• The AthleticminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured speaker organization at Playmakers Sports Marketing Summit, represented by Managing Director Marketing Jenna Winchell.
• DigitasminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured speaker organization at Playmakers Sports Marketing Summit, represented by Executive VP Shabnum Mehra Palomba.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AMA New York Chapter: The New York chapter of the American Marketing Association — the closest direct peer to AMA SF. Operates the same membership, events, awards, and sponsorship model in the largest US marketing market, competing for similar brand and corporate sponsors and serving the same member archetype.
• AMA Los Angeles Chapter: Another major-city AMA chapter offering the same membership tiers, programming, and sponsorship products as AMA SF. Directly comparable in scale, structure, and value proposition, differing primarily in geography and local industry mix.
• Internet Marketing Association (IMA): Industry association focused on internet and digital marketing professionals with conferences, awards, and training. Closely comparable niche to AMA SF — both target digital marketing practitioners and sell similar sponsorships, awards, and event sponsorships.

Broad incumbents

• 4A's (American Association of Advertising Agencies): National trade association for the advertising agency industry. Operates as a broader incumbent in the same marketing-services professional-association space as AMA SF, with overlapping membership audiences (agency-side marketers) and a similar events, awards, and advocacy model.
• ANA (Association of National Advertisers): The largest trade association for brand marketers in the US, offering conferences, training, and awards targeted at the same professional marketer audience as AMA SF. A broader, more established incumbent whose brand-side membership overlaps with AMA SF's core persona.
• Public Relations Society of America (PRSA): Long-standing professional membership association for PR and communications professionals with a similar membership, local-chapter, conference, and awards model. Adjacent discipline to marketing with comparable structure (national body + regional chapters) and overlapping sponsors.
• IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau): Trade association for the digital advertising and marketing ecosystem. Overlaps with AMA SF on programmatic/digital ad-tech sponsors (StackAdapt, Nativo, Seedtag) and competes for the same brand-side marketing audience, but operates as a national, non-chapter-based incumbent.

Regional players

• The Marketing Society: A senior marketing professionals' community originally founded in the UK with a global footprint. Comparable membership and events model targeting senior marketing executives; operates primarily outside the US but competes for the same executive-tier marketing audience and sponsors as AMA SF.

Emerging players

• Ad 2: A national organization for emerging advertising and marketing professionals under 32 with local chapter programming. Comparable volunteer-led, chapter-based community model to AMA SF but with a younger, more junior member demographic and an awards program.
• Digital Analytics Association (DAA): Professional association for digital analytics and marketing-measurement practitioners. Comparable professional-association model with events, awards, and sponsorships; narrower focus on analytics but competes for the same marketer audience and corporate sponsorship dollars as AMA SF.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AMASanFrancisco
• Facebookfacebook.com/AMASanFrancisco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/amasf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about American Marketing Association