Trade associations—their purpose is to promote their medium and to separate hype from reality, and they’ve been quick to take to the Internet to provide this information. Here’s a rundown of some of
these associations and what you will be able to find on their websites.
American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) (www.aaaa.org) provides an upcoming events listing, latest news
releases, transcripts of selected speeches from the AAAA Management Conferences, links to other trade organizations, as well as selected articles from Agency magazine. There’s also the AAAA
publications catalog for books and videotapes. All of these features are available to non-members—however, there is a members section.
Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau (CAB)
(www.cabletvadbureau.com) provides profiles of more than 60 ad-supported cable networks, detailing their value to advertisers, profiles of viewers, contact information, and a link to the site. The
Information Center contains extensive background and statistical information about cable advertising, including information from the latest edition of CAB’s “Cable TV Facts,” weekly ratings,
up-to-date lists of the top cable advertisers and the top cable advertising categories, as well as the fastest growing categories, and case studies. There’s also the latest cable news, cable
advertising links, and an events listing.
Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) (www.iab.net) provides a “Products and Services” section that contains links to sites for auditing, measurement and
analysis, profiling/personalization, ad network sales representatives, integrated ad sales and other technologies-based services, and ad servers.
Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) (www.rab.com) has a
new look and feel and is much easier to navigate. The news section provides all recent headlines, not just those related to radio. And the “RAB Media Fact Book”—a comprehensive guide to all
advertising media, not just radio, in PDF and Acrobat format—is still available online. A myriad of great info exists on the site. However, you must be a member to access the more pertinent content.
There is a 30-day free trial for new members (unlimited access), and after that, a personal membership is $99 a year.
Television Advertising Bureau (TVB) (www.tvb.org) has a great “Television
Facts” section that includes TVB Trends Documents (historical and current data for various media, including advertising volume for all media, costs and CPM trends for TV and print, and various
industry stats for TV) and TV Basics (TVB’s primer of facts and figures about the growth and scope of television). There’s also the TVB forecast, latest TV advertising figures, station sales, and TV
households by market. Beware though, certain sections require you to be a member of the TVB.
Newspaper Publishers of America (NAA) (www.naa.org) has a great “Facts About Newspapers” handbook for
1997-2000—a statistical summary of the newspaper industry including, among other topics, U.S. daily and Sunday/Weekend newspaper reading audience readership demographics, demographic profile of
single-copy newspaper buyers, and how single-copy buyers rate newspaper advertising. There’s also the IRC’s glossary of newspaper terminology, compiled from more than 25 NAA reports and covering
topics including advertising, pressroom, comparative media, ergonomics, and waste management.
Magazine Publishers Association (MPA) (www.magazine.org) has the latest magazine news, a calandar of
events, and a great resources section that includes the “2000-2001 Magazine Handbook”—a comprehensive guide for advertisers, advertising agencies, and magazine marketers. There’s also some great
research available in Acrobat format.
Outdoor Advertising Association of America (oaaa) (www.oaaa.org) has everything you ever wanted to know about the outdoor advertising business. There are
comparisons to other media, facts and figures, and upcoming events. If you have doubts about getting into outdoor, the site is a good place to start doing some research. — Anya Khait