The American Advertising Federation is made up of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations professionals, media and business owners.
By Ken Datzman, Brevard Business News
As the advertising industry begins to strengthen across the various platforms, the local affiliate of the longstanding American Advertising Federation sees this as an opportune time to make a push to grow its membership by appealing to a broader base of businesses in the region.
The Space Coast Chapter of the American Advertising Federation has had a presence in this market for more than 30 years, long being the association known for bringing together area professionals within all facets of the industry. Chapter members represent advertising agencies, marketing firms, web–design businesses, print publications, video–production companies, promotional products retailers, information technology ventures, and other types of entities.
“Our tagline is, ‘If you are in business, you are in advertising.’ The Space Coast Chapter’s focus this year is to reach out and try to pull in a broader base of the business community as members of our organization,” said Eric Needle, the 2015–2016 president of AAF Space Coast and the marketing director for Artemis—The IT Company.
Needle added that AAF Space Coast “has been around for over thirty years. The landscape within our industry has changed and I don’t think the business community is fully aware of who we are. Fifteen years ago a lot of people knew about Ad Fed—where to go for advertising, and the organizations that support it. So we’re looking to raise our visibility in the business community and hopefully attract new members as well as former members who have drifted away.”
Annual membership in the Space Coast Chapter starts at $80.
He said his vision for the organization, which is part of the American Advertising Federation’s 4th District, is
threefold: to see area businesses use the chapter as a resource; to see the sizable businesses in the region contribute “time, talent, and treasure” to gain value; and to offer scholarships to area students seeking degrees in marketing, communications, and advertising–related fields.
Through the recession, a lot of businesses tried their hand at crafting their own advertising strategies and producing their own marketing and promotional materials. “As the economy improves, I think the day of ‘do–it–yourself advertising‘ is over,” said Needle.
“If you are building a website, for example, you need a professional to help you be found on search engines. There is so much noise and competition that it is hard to be found in the marketplace — and people are waking up to this reality. Ad Fed is the place to start when you are ready to grow your business. I think the need for AAF–SC has never been greater.”
Madison Conradis, marketing director of Your Logo by Geiger, a full–service promotional products company in Melbourne, is the president–elect of AAF Space Coast. Conradis is a second–generation Ad Fed member. Her mother is longtime area entrepreneur Cathy Bell, owner of Your Logo by Geiger.
Conradis said the association “is trying to provide more value to its members. And part of that initiative centers on bringing in very informative and enlightening speakers for our events. We’re also working to make our events more fun. We have a lot of projects going on right now that we think will help our organization appeal to more business people in the county.”
As chapter president, Needle says his organization is inviting, “those who are in business—and those in the business of advertising—to get more closely involved with the Space Coast Chapter of the American Advertising Federation. Our goal is to grow business and opportunity by connecting companies with the talent Brevard County has to offer within this dynamic industry.”
For more information, visit aafspacecoast.org.