March 2024

Insights from Steve Pacheco

President & CEO, American Advertising Federation

District Leadership Leads the Way for the AAF

The AAF’s grass roots network is a powerful lesson in effective Leadership that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough.  How else do you efficiently lead a National organization with 35,000 Members across North America without a strong volunteer leadership framework in place?

The origins of the American Advertising Federation go back more than 100 years and was built on the dependency of our membership base to lead and steer the organization. This reliance on independent leadership across our base is predicated on developing strong leaders and providing numerous opportunities for continual professional development and networking opportunities that positively impact your own Locality or District.

After all, who understands Local and District needs better than the working professionals in each market?  They are attuned to exactly what Members need and who best to work with to get things done.

The AAF's local Professional, Ad 2 and College Chapters are comprised of anywhere between 30 to 3,000 members and represent all aspects and disciplines of the advertising industry. These Chapters are categorized by geographic location and membership size. These categories help ensure all local members are well-represented by delegates to the AAF's National Board of Directors where they influence and shape the direction of the organization. Each region (East, Central, West) is also represented by a delegate to the AAF National Board. Through these delegates, local chapters have a voice in national policy and decisions.

 
The AAF national map is set into 15 multi-state districts. Each district elects a district governor to serve on the AAF's Council of Governors. Members of the Council also serve on the AAF Board of Directors, representing the interests and concerns of local members. AAF districts serve another vital role: They host a tier of competitions for signature programs like the AAF’s American Advertising Awards and the National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC). In each program, district-wide competitions yield top contenders, who then advance to the national round.

The American Advertising Awards is a good example.  A national, creative competition that is structured to allow Local and District chapters to participate in a way which in turn provides financial resources and opportunity for recognition and lead by local leaders who want the best work from their area to be showcased and recognized.

The AAF National Student Advertising Competition is another example of AAF leadership in action at the District level—moving on to National level competition—and a National Champion. Their work leading this national competition is critical to the success of this program—and with P&G’s Tide brand as the 2024 Client—an opportunity to partner with one of the world’s most renowned brands. This provides opportunities for mentorship and connectivity with our youngest members looking to make their way into a career in advertising.

And, of course, many Districts host Leadership Conferences in the Spring and these are always led by volunteers in each District who want to advance the knowledge base and professional credentials and lifelong learning for their members and supporters. Events like these allow them to connect to our national grass roots network, bringing in speakers and programs that benefit the members.

We fully realize that it takes many people to effectively lead this organization and to ensure that we provide each with the opportunity to use their voice and skillset to help us remain “The Unifying Voice for Advertising.”  As always, thanks for your support of the AAF in your hometown and in your District – we could not do what we do without this outstanding leadership. 

—Steve