What AAF New Orleans does

AAF New Orleans, legally known as The Advertising Club of New Orleans, is a non-profit professional membership organization founded in 1910 that serves advertising, marketing, public relations, and communications professionals in the Greater New Orleans area. It operates as a regional affiliate of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) within AAF's 7th District (covering Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, and southern Louisiana) since joining in 1927. The organization provides networking, continuing education, industry recognition, and career development services to its members and the broader New Orleans advertising community.

The organization's core offerings are organized around four membership tiers — Young Professional ($125/year, age 30 and under), Professional ($325/year), Corporate ($980/year covering 4 members), and Emeritus ($125/year, age 65 and over) — each including national AAF membership benefits such as discounts with Ad Age, Adweek, and travel partners. Signature programs include the annual American Advertising Awards (ADDY Awards), the first tier of AAF's three-tier national creative competition that draws nearly 35,000 entries nationally each year; recurring monthly networking luncheons featuring industry speakers; the Bowl-A-thon annual fundraiser at Rock-n-Bowl; the Alan B. Watts Memorial Scholarship for communications students; and the annual Silver Medal Award recognizing outstanding industry contributors (recipients from 2009-2022 documented).

AAF New Orleans generates revenue through four primary streams: recurring membership dues (subscription), ADDY Awards entry fees (transactional pricing of $35-$150 per entry), corporate sponsorships (Basis.com 2025 Club Sponsor; KORTX, Mockly, Prisma for 2026 ADDY Awards), and paid event participation (luncheons, Bowl-A-thon). The organization distributes services through self-serve online enrollment via the Springly membership platform (aaf-district-7.springly.org), in-person events, and a member-access job board that connects local employers including PETERMAYER, WWL-TV, Zehnder Communications, Ramey, Ochsner Health System, and Intralox with advertising talent. Student outreach partnerships with Loyola University New Orleans support the future talent pipeline. Technology is limited to a standard web-based membership management platform and job board; no proprietary AI, data products, or technical differentiators are present.

Name

AAF New Orleans

Legal name

The Advertising Club of New Orleans

Website

https://adclubnola.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1910

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

AAF New Orleans is a non-profit professional membership association founded in 1910 that serves advertising, marketing, and communications professionals in Greater New Orleans through tiered memberships, the ADDY Awards competition, monthly networking luncheons, and career services as an affiliate of the American Advertising Federation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services (Advertising Industry)

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Advertising (Brand + Performance + Media) (BPAFAAAA)

Keywords

• Professional association
• Advertising networking
• Industry awards program
• Membership organization
• Advertising education

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees at multiple tiers including Young Professional ($125), Professional ($325), Corporate ($980), and Emeritus ($125). Dues include District and National AAF membership fees.
2. American Advertising Awards Entries: Entry fees for the ADDY Awards competition with tiered pricing for members, non-members, and students. Professional entries range from $95-$150 per entry depending on membership status and entry type (single vs campaign).
3. Event Sponsorships: Annual sponsorships from local companies seeking visibility with the New Orleans advertising community. Includes club sponsorships and event-specific sponsorships.
4. Event Participation: Revenue from paid events including monthly luncheons and the annual Bowl-A-thon fundraiser. Members receive free or discounted entry to luncheons.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

AAF New Orleans is a non-profit professional advertising association that sells tiered memberships to individuals and corporations, runs the local American Advertising Awards (ADDY Awards) competition, and hosts networking and educational events for advertising professionals in the Greater New Orleans market. Its offerings include membership subscriptions, event admission (monthly luncheons, Bowl-A-thon), award entry fees, job board listings, and student scholarships.

Product overview

AAF New Orleans (Ad Club of New Orleans) is a professional advertising industry organization offering a tiered membership structure with four categories (Young Professional, Professional, Corporate, and Emeritus). The organization's core programs include the American Advertising Awards (ADDY Awards), an annual creative competition serving as the first tier of the national AAF competition, and monthly networking luncheons featuring industry speakers. Additional offerings include the annual Bowl-A-thon fundraiser, a job board connecting advertising professionals with local opportunities, and student scholarship programs including the Alan B. Watts Memorial Scholarship. The organization operates as an affiliate of the American Advertising Federation (AAF), part of the 7th District covering Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, and southern Louisiana.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Young Professional Membership

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Advertising Federation (AAF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1927The Advertising Club of New Orleans joined the American Advertising Federation in 1927. AAF is a 50,000-member organization divided into fifteen districts. AAF membership includes over 400 corporations, 216 clubs and federations, and 133 college chapters. The partnership provides national membership benefits, industry resources, and the pathway to national ADDY Awards competition.
• AAF 7th DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ad Club of New Orleans is part of the 7th District of the AAF, comprised of Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, and southern Louisiana. This district affiliation connects local members to a broader regional network of advertising professionals.
• Basis.comminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBasis.com is the 2025 Club Sponsor of AAF New Orleans. As a sponsor, they receive brand visibility and recognition within the New Orleans advertising community through the club's communications and events.
• Loyola University New OrleansminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent outreach partnership with Loyola University New Orleans for molding the minds of future advertising professionals. Includes learning workshops, meet and greets, and the Alan B. Watts student scholarship program.
• Rock-n-BowlminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue partner for the annual Bowl-A-thon fundraiser. The perennially sold-out event generates fun and club profits while connecting advertising professionals in a social setting.
• 2026 American Advertising Awards SponsorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsors supporting the 2026 American Advertising Awards include KORTX, Mockly, and Prisma as shown on the event page. These sponsors help fund the awards competition and gain visibility with the advertising community.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Advertising Federation (AAF): National umbrella organization overseeing all 216 member clubs including AAF New Orleans. AAF operates the national ADDY Awards tier, sets policy, and provides shared resources, making it the broader incumbent that AAF New Orleans affiliates with rather than competes against.
• American Marketing Association (AMA): Large national professional association for marketers with local chapters across the US. Comparable membership-based professional society model, including tiered dues, local chapter events, and awards programs (Effie Awards), serving a broader but overlapping professional base.
• 4A's (American Association of Advertising Agencies): National trade association for advertising agencies. While AAF New Orleans serves individual advertising professionals, the 4A's serves the agency side of the same industry with overlapping advocacy, events, and programming. Comparable trade association structure for the ad industry.
• Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB): National trade association for digital advertising and marketing. Operates industry events, research, and standards from a national perspective; comparable trade association role in the advertising ecosystem though without the local chapter model.

Direct peers

• AAF Atlanta: AAF-affiliated local advertising club for the Atlanta market. Runs ADDY Awards, luncheons, and networking programming with comparable structure; same revenue mix of dues, entry fees, and sponsorships.
• The Advertising Club of New York (ACNY): One of the largest and oldest AAF-affiliated clubs, hosting ANDY Awards rather than ADDY. Same non-profit membership club model serving a single metro ad community, with similar events, luncheons, and scholarship programs.
• AAF Houston: Local AAF chapter running ADDY Awards and networking events for Houston ad professionals. Direct structural peer with the same membership tiers, sponsorships, and event formats serving a similar Gulf South metro.
• AAF Dallas (Dallas Ad League): Another AAF-affiliated local advertising club running its own ADDY Awards local competition, monthly programming, and corporate sponsorships. Highly comparable membership-based business model serving a single metropolitan ad community, with similar pricing tiers and event formats.

Emerging players

• Ad 2: National network of young advertising professionals under age 32, organized as chapters within AAF. Direct overlap with AAF New Orleans' Young Professional tier ($125) and student programs; an internal competitor for the same early-career member demographic.

Others

• PRSA (Public Relations Society of America): National professional association for PR practitioners with local chapters running networking events, awards (Silver Anvil), and professional development. Adjacent communications-industry professional body with similar membership club structure, though focused on PR rather than advertising.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aafnola
• Facebookfacebook.com/AdClubNOLA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aaf-new-orleans

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 AAF New Orleans