Peer Networking Groups for Marketers

Maybe I need to get out more often, but I was a bit surprised to find how many membership groups are eager to help marketers with their jobs in general, and performance measurement in particular. Many publish research that is open to non-members too. Here is a list with brief descriptions, mostly taken verbatim from their Web sites.

American Marketing Association one of the largest professional associations for marketers, has 38,000 members worldwide in every area of marketing. For over six decades the AMA has been an essential resource providing relevant marketing information that experienced marketers turn to every day.

Association of Canadian Advertisers is a national, not-for-profit association exclusively dedicated to serving the interests of companies that market and advertise their products and services in Canada. Founded in 1914 and incorporated in 1917, membership in the ACA is restricted to advertisers only. ACA cuts across all products and service sectors and speaks on behalf of over 200 companies and divisions who collectively account for estimated annual sales of $350 billion. The ACA’s primary goal is to help members maximize the value of their marketing communications investments. Members realize tangible value through a wide array of specialized courses, seminars, publications and communications. Confidential one-on-one advisory services are also available for the asking.

Association of National Advertisers leads the marketing community by providing its members insights, collaboration and advocacy. ANA’s membership includes 400 companies with 9,000 brands that collectively spend over $100 billion in marketing communications and advertising. The ANA strives to communicate marketing best practices, lead industry initiatives, influence industry practices, manage industry affairs and advance, promote and protect all advertisers and marketers. ANA membership is corporate, not individual, and open to client-side marketing corporations only (advertising, promotion, PR agencies, media companies, and consultants are not eligible for membership). ANA advances marketing decision-making by acquiring, developing and disseminating unique and proprietary insights to ANA members. Our intellectual capital covers all aspects of the communications process, including brand building, integrated marketing communications, marketing accountability and the marketing organization. ANA consistently brings members together with industry thought leaders to promote fresh thinking, develop new ideas, provide professional training and facilitate industry-wide networking. The ANA convenes constituents across the entire marketing spectrum including peer marketers, agencies, the media, associations, consultants, vendors, production companies and academicians.

The CMO Club’s mission is to provide an environment of networking, insight, openness, and contribution for CMOs that enables its members to help each other become better CMOs. Members bring a diverse set of experiences and techniques to CMOs only dinners, online and events, creating an exchange of ideas that is truly valuable. The criteria for membership are simple: you are currently a Chief Marketing Officer, or have been within the last 4 months. You must not report to any other marketing executive. Should you leave your position as CMO and not retain another, your membership will continue for 1 year. We have over 1200 CMOs in the club (and over 550 online) with new CMOs joining every day.

CMO Council is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to high-level knowledge exchange, thought leadership and personal relationship building among senior marketing and brand decision-makers. The Council is based in Northern California, but regional chapters convene worldwide under the auspices of GlobalFluency, The Independent Network of Influence, which has more than 100 offices in 72 countries. The CMO Council is an invitation-only affinity group working to further the stature, credibility, influence, and understanding of the strategic marketing function among business executives, opinion leaders and critical stakeholders. CMO Council members are drawn from the upper echelons of corporate management to form a trusted, close-knit community of peers who use their access, connections and expertise for mutual benefit, support, referral and professional advancement. Membership is open to top-ranking corporate marketing decision makers only, not consultants or agencies. Members should have at least 15 years of marketing experience and have held executive management positions at new venture, emerging growth or established enterprise organizations. Nominees must have demonstrated marketing prowess, a proven track record of accomplishment, and leadership in evangelizing marketing and branding practices. The CMO Council operates the MPM Forum, which serves as a focal point for marketing professionals interested in advancing their knowledge of the MPM discipline. This Forum provides educational programs, access to the most complete library of MPM information available anywhere, and insights from leading global MPM experts.

Demand Metric is a management advisory firm dedicated to building Practical Tools and delivering Best Practices to Sales & Marketing executives in mid-sized enterprises. Based in Vancouver, it sells several subscription services. 500 members.

Evanta facilitates private executive networks designed to support the leadership needs of senior executives in Global 1000 organizations. Driven by self-governed, membership-only communities, its peer-based conferences, educational programs and digital media connect senior leaders who are focused on accelerating their organization's competitive advantage in the international economy. Activities include the CMO Executive Summit, a private conference built by CMOs, for CMOs. The one day event is by invitation only and is steered by a Governing Body of distinguished marketing leaders from Fortune 1000 companies and other leading organizations in our region.

Marketing Leadership Roundtable publishes ‘marketing performance measurement toolkit’ among other toolkits. The Marketing Leadership Roundtable operates on the principle that the collective experience and resources of a marketing member network can more effectively and efficently resolve challenges than any one of its individual participants. Through a central research team and the contribution of proven ideas, our members receive unlimited access to current best practice research and business intelligence, tools for increased effectiveness, and an unparalleled peer network. Key facts:
· Founded by the Corporate Executive Board in 2006
· Designed for organizations with annual revenue less than $1 billion
· Serves marketing executives and their teams with unlimited access
· Includes more than 1,200 best practice studies, benchmarking reports, and tools
· Over 150 member organizations and 2,500 participating marketing professionals

MarketingProfs, founded in January 2001, specializes in providing strategic and tactical marketing know-how for marketing and business professionals in organizations worldwide through a full range of online media. With over 308,000 members and 300 contributors, MarketingProfs provides members with practical marketing tools and information in many forms, including articles, online seminars, case studies, workshops, templates, benchmark survey reports, buyer’s guides and thought-leader panel discussions. Updated weekly, the content enables professionals to stay current and effective.

Marketing Science Institute, founded in 1961, is a learning organization dedicated to bridging the gap between marketing science theory and business practice. MSI currently brings together executives from approximately 70 sponsoring corporations with leading researchers from over 100 universities worldwide. As a nonprofit institution, MSI financially supports academic research for the development—and practical translation—of leading-edge marketing knowledge on topics of importance to business. Issues of key importance to business performance are identified by the Board of Trustees, which represents MSI corporations and the academic community. MSI supports studies by academics on these issues and disseminates the results through conferences and workshops, as well as through its publications series. Membership is open only to invited corporations and qualified academics.

World Federation of Advertisers is a network of 55 national advertiser associations on five continents and approximately 50 of the world’s top 100 marketers, WFA represents around 90% of global marketing communications, almost US$ 700 billion annually. WFA champions responsible and effective marketing communications worldwide. Its U.S. affiliate is the Association of National Advertisers.