International Communication Association

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

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

• Scholarly communication research
• Professional academic association
• Peer-reviewed journals publishing
• Communication research conferences
• Academic membership services

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core 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

Named customers2 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered gold sponsor, silver sponsor, core and minor.

• Nanyang Technological University - Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Informationgold sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerGold 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 sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver 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 PresscoreTechnology or IntegrationICA'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)coreTechnology or IntegrationICA'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 CommunicationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor 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 AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary 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 ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey international partner association. IAMCR is a global organization for media and communication researchers, working with ICA on advancing the field worldwide.
• ACOP - Asociacion Comunicacion PoliticaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation member focused on political communication. Affiliated partner collaborating with ICA on political communication scholarship.
• ANZCA - Australia & New Zealand Communication AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner for Australia and New Zealand. Supports ICA's presence and activities in the Oceania region.
• DGPuK - German Communication AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman national communication association partner. Affiliated through ICA's association membership program.
• ICA China ChaptercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICA's official regional chapter in China. Joint events include the 2025 Conference on Diversity and Globalization of Communication Studies in Hefei, China.
• ICA France ChaptercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICA's official regional chapter in France. Hosting the ICA France Annual Chapter Conference in October 2026.
• ICA Nigeria ChaptercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICA's official regional chapter in Nigeria. Co-hosting regional conferences to expand ICA's reach in Africa.
• WileycoreTechnology or IntegrationPublisher 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

Others

• 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

• Xx.com/icahdq
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@IntlCommAssnOfficial
• Facebookfacebook.com/International-Communication-Association-ICA-Official-Page-234368319927182
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-communication-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Communication Association