• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, May 31, 2018

The Association of National Advertisers’ appetite for gobbling up other trade organizations continues with today’s announcement that it has acquired the Data & Marketing Association, formerly known as the Direct Marketing Association. The deal is expected to close July 1. Terms weren’t disclosed.

DMA will continue to be led by CEO Tom Benton, now as a division of the ANA. 

The acquisition follows the ANA’s purchase earlier this year of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association. Earlier acquisitions include the Advertising Educational Foundation (now known as the ANA Educational Foundation), the Business Marketing Association and the Brand Activation Association. 

The ANA said that the consolidated group makes it the single largest trade association in the U.S. devoted to servicing all aspects of the marketing industry. Collective membership includes 2,000 corporate enterprises (representing 20,000 brands) and 150,000 industry professionals. 

ANA CEO Bob Liodice stated that adding DMA to the broader ANA ranks “creates a dynamic new entity dedicated to comprehensively serving virtually every aspect of marketing…The ANA is particularly enthused at the potential for enhancing consumer engagement and business value through innovative data-driven marketing.”