• by Ray Schultz , December 14, 2022

Publishing’s two major auditing organizations, the Alliance for Audited Media (AAM) and BPA Worldwide, have agreed to merge in a move that they hope will build trust in media. 

The merger of the two-not-for-profit groups has been approved by their respective boards, and will 

be voted on by members in January 2023. Pending member and regulatory approval, the move is expected to be completed in spring 2023.  

Tom Drouillard, AAM’s CEO and managing director, will serve as CEO of the new organization. BPA’s CEO, Rich Murphy, will be president.

The resulting not-for-profit group will build  assurance across media channels by offering a suite of services to increase transparency and accountability, the parties say. 

The legal entity BPA Worldwide is being folded into the Alliance for Audited Media, and the BPA and AAM brands will continue to exist with no change initially in branding.

The companies will continue to work as they are doing now: AAM employees work remotely, and BPA has an office in Shelton, Conn.  

“BPA and AAM share a common vision to help buyers buy better and quality sellers sell more,” states David Adelman, founder and CEO of OCD Media and BPA chairman. “Together, we will do this across channels — websites, newsletters, events, print, out-of-home, podcasts and ad tech — and across compliance areas such as advertising, editorial, privacy and sustainability.”  

“Demand for increased digital advertising assurance is a driving force in bringing AAM and BPA together,” adds Chris Black, SVP, global lead for Zenith and AAM chairman. “Combining our expertise will be a catalyst for more transparency, better services and increased confidence across the industry.” 

BPA was created 80+ years ago as a not-for-profit assurance service provider by advertisers, advertising agencies and the media industry to audit audience claims used in the selling of advertising.