International Communication Association
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1950
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
International Communication Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- International Communication Association
- Legal name
- International Communication Association
- Website
- https://icahdq.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1950
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
International Communication Association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Academic Membership Association
- NAICS
- Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392), Professional Organizations (813920)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)
Keywords
Where International Communication Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
International Communication Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: ICA generates primary revenue through tiered membership dues. Membership fees vary based on member type (Regular, Student, Emeritus, Employment Exception, Sustaining, Life, Institutional, Association) and geographic tier (Tier 1-4 based on World Bank GNI indicators). Membership term runs October 1 to September 30 annually.
- Conference Registration: Annual conference registration fees provide significant revenue. ICA26 (June 2026 in Cape Town) and regional conferences generate registration income. Different pricing tiers exist for cancellation policies (Tier A: $50, Tier B: $25, Tier C: No charge). Sustaining memberships include conference registration.
- Division and Interest Group Fees: Members can join divisions and interest groups for additional fees, typically ranging from US$3-$7 per group. Membership includes $3 toward the first division/interest group for primary account holders.
- Handbook and Publication Sales: ICA Handbook Series (joint venture with Routledge) generates revenue through book sales. Members receive 20% discount on handbook purchases.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Regular (Professional) Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Discounted (Student, Emeritus, Employment Exception) |
| Subscription | Annual | Sustaining Membership |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Life Membership (Single Payment) |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Life Membership (Four Annual Installments) |
| Subscription | Annual | Institutional Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Association Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Family Membership |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
International Communication Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ICA is a non-profit professional membership association that advances the scholarly study of human communication. Its core offerings include six peer-reviewed journals, a flagship annual conference (3,000+ attendees), regional conferences, the 56-volume International Encyclopedia of Communication, the ICA Handbook Series, the Theme Book Series, the "The Link" online community, the ICA Career Center, and tiered membership services with access to 34 divisions and interest groups.
Product overview
The International Communication Association (ICA) is a professional academic membership association that operates as a platform-plus-services model. The core offering centers on six peer-reviewed journals (Journal of Communication, Human Communication Research, Communication Theory, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Communication Culture & Critique, and Annals of the ICA), supplemented by the Annual ICA Conference, membership services with access to 34 divisions/interest groups, the ICA Handbook Series, Theme Book Series, and International Encyclopedias of Communication. Additional services include The Link online community, ICA Career Center, and ICA Store. The organization serves over 4,000 members across 90 countries with scholarly communication research resources.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Link: ICA's online community where members connect, network, and collaborate
- ICA Handbook Series
- ICA International Encyclopedias of Communication
- ICA Career Center
Products and services
- ICA Membership
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 4,000 members across 90 countries
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use International Communication Association
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
International Communication Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
International Communication Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered gold sponsor, silver sponsor, core and minor.
- Nanyang Technological University - Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Informationgold sponsorGold sponsor for ICA26 (76th Annual ICA Conference in Cape Town, June 2026). NTU WKWSCI supports the conference through financial sponsorship, demonstrating institutional commitment to advancing communication scholarship.
- City University of Hong Kong - Department of Media and Communicationsilver sponsorSilver sponsor for ICA26 annual conference. CityU's Department of Media and Communication supports ICA's annual conference as a key educational institution partner.
- Oxford University PresscoreICA's primary journal publishing partner. Oxford University Press publishes multiple ICA journals including Journal of Communication, Human Communication Research, Communication Theory, and Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication.
- Taylor & Francis (Routledge)coreICA's secondary publishing partner for journals (Annals of the International Communication Association) and the ICA Handbook Series. Publishes multiple ICA publications under the Routledge imprint.
- AEJMC - Association for Education in Journalism and Mass CommunicationcoreMajor affiliated association member. AEJMC is a leading organization for journalism and mass communication education, collaborating with ICA on advancing communication scholarship.
- ECREA - European Communication Research and Education AssociationcorePrimary European partner in ICA's association membership network. ECREA represents European communication researchers and educators, facilitating collaboration across the continent.
- IAMCR - International Association for Media and Communication ResearchcoreKey international partner association. IAMCR is a global organization for media and communication researchers, working with ICA on advancing the field worldwide.
- ACOP - Asociacion Comunicacion PoliticaminorAssociation member focused on political communication. Affiliated partner collaborating with ICA on political communication scholarship.
- ANZCA - Australia & New Zealand Communication AssociationminorRegional partner for Australia and New Zealand. Supports ICA's presence and activities in the Oceania region.
- DGPuK - German Communication AssociationminorGerman national communication association partner. Affiliated through ICA's association membership program.
- ICA China ChaptercoreICA's official regional chapter in China. Joint events include the 2025 Conference on Diversity and Globalization of Communication Studies in Hefei, China.
- ICA France ChaptercoreICA's official regional chapter in France. Hosting the ICA France Annual Chapter Conference in October 2026.
- ICA Nigeria ChaptercoreICA's official regional chapter in Nigeria. Co-hosting regional conferences to expand ICA's reach in Africa.
- WileycorePublisher of the International Encyclopedia of Communication (IEC), ICA's comprehensive reference work spanning 56 volumes with over 5,000 entries.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
International Communication Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Wiley: Major academic publisher and ICA's publishing partner for the International Encyclopedia of Communication. Adjacent as a publishing/distribution partner that shares revenue and co-produces content with ICA.
- Oxford University Press: Academic publishing arm of the University of Oxford and ICA's primary journal publishing partner (Journal of Communication, Human Communication Research, Communication Theory, JCMC). Indirectly comparable as the publisher-of-record enabling ICA's journal business model.
Direct peers
- IAMCR - International Association for Media and Communication Research: Global scholarly organization for media and communication researchers that partners with ICA and competes for the same international academic audience. Runs its own biennial conference and thematic sections that overlap with ICA's divisions.
- ECREA - European Communication Research and Education Association: Primary European scholarly association for communication researchers and educators, listed as a core ICA partner. Competes with ICA for European members and conference attendance, with overlapping thematic sections and journals.
- AEJMC - Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication: Major US-based scholarly association focused on journalism and mass communication, with overlapping membership and an annual conference. ICA lists AEJMC as one of its 25+ association members, and the two compete for scholars in journalism, mass comm, and media studies subfields.
- National Communication Association: The leading US-based professional association for communication scholars and educators, running its own annual convention and multiple peer-reviewed journals (Communication Monographs, Communication Studies). Directly comparable to ICA as a competing scholarly membership association in the same discipline.
Broad incumbents
- American Political Science Association: One of the largest US social science professional associations, with a much broader scope than ICA but capturing political communication scholars — a major ICA division — through its own annual meeting and journals. Comparable as a disciplinary scholarly association model.
Regional players
- DGPuK - German Communication Association: German national communication association, ICA partner. Comparable scholarly membership association model but limited to one national market, providing a regional complement to ICA's global positioning.
- ANZCA - Australia and New Zealand Communication Association: Regional communication scholarly association serving Australia and New Zealand, listed as a minor ICA partner. Provides a comparable association model but is geographically concentrated in Oceania rather than global.
Emerging players
- AoIR - Association of Internet Researchers: Specialized scholarly association focused on internet/digital communication research. Overlaps with ICA's Communication and Technology, Mobile Communication, and JCMC divisions, drawing members who might otherwise join ICA as their primary affiliation.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
International Communication Association social profiles
Digital presenceInternational Communication Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
International Communication Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
International Communication Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
International Communication Association M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about International Communication Association
What does International Communication Association do?
ICA is a non-profit professional membership association that advances the scholarly study of human communication. Its core offerings include six peer-reviewed journals, a flagship annual conference (3,000+ attendees), regional conferences, the 56-volume International Encyclopedia of Communication, the ICA Handbook Series, the Theme Book Series, the "The Link" online community, the ICA Career Center, and tiered membership services with access to 34 divisions and interest groups.
Is International Communication Association a public or private company?
International Communication Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was International Communication Association founded?
International Communication Association was founded in 1950. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is International Communication Association based?
International Communication Association is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does International Communication Association make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are conference Registration, division and Interest Group Fees and handbook and Publication Sales.
Who are International Communication Association's main competitors?
Others on record are Wiley and Oxford University Press. Direct peers are IAMCR - International Association for Media and Communication Research, ECREA - European Communication Research and Education Association, AEJMC - Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and National Communication Association. American Political Science Association is listed as a broad incumbent. Regional players are DGPuK - German Communication Association and ANZCA - Australia and New Zealand Communication Association. AoIR - Association of Internet Researchers is listed as an emerging player.
Does International Communication Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for International Communication Association.
What industry is International Communication Association in?
International Communication Association's product category is Professional Academic Membership Association. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHACAA, Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies). Its NAICS code is 813910 and its SIC code is 8600.