The mission of the 4A’s Advertising Legal Affairs Committee is:

• Strengthen the advertising business by:
  • Counseling members
  • Fostering professional development
  • Encouraging high creative and business standards
  • Attracting excellent people

• Influence public policy.
• Be the principle source of information and advice about advertising.
• Be advertising advocates.
• Represent the agency point of view to advertisers and the media.
• Facilitate pro bono efforts on behalf of worthy causes.
• Serve member needs for information, management counsel, professional development, employee development programs and new needs that arise.

Consistent with the overall mission of the 4A’s, the Advertising Legal Affairs Committee Mission Statement is to be the preeminent source for information and education about agency legal and regulatory matters. The committee will:

• Monitor and assess significant legal, regulatory and contracting matters affecting marketing services organizations, their clients and suppliers.
• Communicate issues and positions to the 4A’s Board and member agencies.
• Represent the agency point of view on legal matters with advertisers/ANA and third parties
• Address common issues, establish best practices, and facilitate training, education, informational exchanges and other activities with the objective of improving the effectiveness, efficiency and well-being of agencies.
• Suggest Best Practices and Guidelines for agencies, advertisers and intermediaries.
• Provide and distribute relevant and up to date content.
• Foster training and education for 4A’s members.
• Gather and disseminate information that can help agencies become more effective and secure.
• Sponsor thought leadership (and advisory resources) relating to contracting strategies and agreement provisions.
• Facilitate collaboration among members.

For more information, contact Nicole Rizzo.

The mission of the 4A’s Agency Communications Committee is to increase appreciation for the value of what we do as agency communication practitioners among our key constituencies, most notably: agency CEOs, client media relations counterparts and reporters/the media.

It is the objective of the committee to enhance the image, perception, viability and attractiveness of the advertising industry as a highly desirable career destination. The committee will also work to establish the gold standard of Best Practices for Agency Public Relations and Corporate Communications professionals.

For more information, contact Janelle Hanley.

One of the longest running 4A’s member committees, based in our Management Services team.

For more information, contact Sal Conte.

The 4A’s Business Leadership (Account Management) Committee exists to advance the craft of Account Management and champion the strategic value we provide as essential business partners to both agencies and clients.

The 4A’s Business Leadership (Account Management) Committee will do this by:

• Establishing the gold standard for excellence in Account Management at all levels and the corresponding skills, knowledge, characteristics and responsibilities.
• Anticipating and adapting our standards to the evolving requirements needed for Account Managers to successfully lead their clients’ businesses, and their agencies, into the future.
• Identifying and guiding the creation of education and training programs to deliver on those standards and evolving requirements.
• Identifying platforms through which to showcase the value and contribution of Account Management to the industry.

For more information, contact Mollie Rosen.

The 4A’s Creative Technologies Committee is a forum where agency technology and innovation leaders, creative and strategic technologists and related professionals can explore the present and future in creative experience and communications design and execution.

COMMITTEE MISSION

• Engage the diverse digital professionals in member agencies.
• Provide a forum for knowledge sharing.
• Explore advanced technology’s potential for advancing all creative practices.
• Gather and generate knowledge and guidance for the general membership on digital issues.
• Direct the association’s attention to important agency issues concerning technology advances.
• Provide opportunities for connections to other advanced technology and creative communities.

DRIVING FORCES

1. Technology plays an increasing role in individual’s lives, society and business.
2. Digital transformation and innovation is a business imperative.
3. The technologist has now a front-line role in advertising, brand building, product and organization design.
4. Innovation management theory and practice is modeled on the technlogy entrepreneur.
5. Marketing is being redefined to fit new holistic models of customer relationships beyond messaging.
6. There are new tribe(s) of professionals creating careers in advertising from data science, computer science, engineering, design and more.

For more information, contact Chick Foxgrover.

The 4A’s Digital Operations and Technology (DOT) Committee is dedicated to demystifying the digital supply chain and promoting transparency in the digital marketplace. Acting as advocates for the agency operations community, DOT will provide internal & external education and focus on key digital operations issues / technologies as they arise.

For more information, contact Ashwini Karandikar.

The 4A’s Finance Committee mission is to be the preeminent source for information and education about agency finance and business operations. The committee will:

• Monitor and assess significant financial and operational matters affecting marketing services organizations and their clients.
• Communicate issues and positions to the 4A’s Board and member agencies.
• Represent the agency point of view on financial matters with advertisers/ANA and consultants.
• Address common issues, establish best practices, facilitate training, education, informational exchanges and other activities with the objective of improving the effectiveness, efficiency and economics of Agencies.
• Suggesting Best Practices and Guidelines for agencies, advertisers and intermediaries.
• Provide and distributing relevant and up to date content.
• Foster training and education for 4A’s members.
• Conduct surveys and gathering information that can help agencies become more proficient.
• Sponsor thought leadership (and advisory resources) relating to financial strategies and tactics.
• Facilitate collaboration among members.

For more information, contact Nicole Rizzo.

The purpose of the Identity Management Committee is to encourage and promote the development of a single, persistent, privacy-compliant cross-device identifier to empower robust audience creation and frequency management while adhering to the privacy guidelines and principles set forth by the 4A’s, IAB, DAA and others.

For more information, contact Ashwini Karandikar.

The objective of the 4A’s Local Video & Audio Committee is to represent the interests of the Local Audio & Video buying community. This pertains to conducting business with stations, media sales organizations, research and technology suppliers, and any other industries with whom the buying community interacts. The Committee should provide thought leadership on future needs and solutions as delivery of local video and audio expands.

For more information, contact Ashwini Karandikar.

The objective of the 4A’s Media Measurement Committee is to drive cross platform measurement initiatives in alignment with 3MS and all cross-industry measurement initiatives and includes reviewing, challenging and providing innovative suggestions for the advertising industry’s current and emerging measurement, information and research systems.

For more information, contact Ashwini Karandikar.

The objective of the 4A’s Mid-Sized Agency Media Directors Committee is to create a free forum for exchange of information among the mid-size member agencies, as well as to educate the members of new offerings, technologies, platforms and vendors that may benefit other 4A’s members.

For more information, contact Ashwini Karandikar.

The 4A’s New Business Committee mission is to be the preeminent source for information and education about new business by:

• Representing the agency point of view on new business matters with advertisers/ANA and Search
• Suggesting New Business Best Practices and Guidelines for Agencies, Advertisers and
• Providing and distributing relevant and up-to-date
• Fostering new business training and education for 4A’s members
• Conducting surveys and gathering information that can help agencies become more proficient at New
• Sponsoring thought leadership (and advisory resources) relating to new business strategies and
• Facilitating collaboration among

In the context of a competitive marketplace, the committee members will work together to improve the value of agency services and our clients’ appreciation of that value.

For more information, contact Matt Kasindorf.

The objectives of the 4A’s Next Generation Publishing Committee are to create a free forum for exchange of information among the member agencies and to serve in an ambassadorial capacity to the many brands within the magazine & newspaper publishing community, as these become expressed through all of their forms (both traditional and digitized).

For more information, contact Ashwini Karandikar.

The objectives of the 4A’s Out-of-Home Media Committee are to create a free forum for exchange of information among the member agencies and to serve in an ambassadorial capacity to the out-of-home industry. The Committee will maintain a watchful eye for innovations and changes in media practices which affect member agencies. It is within the scope of the Committee to review industry procedures and development involving out-of-home and to recommend improvements. The Committee will promote education, advocacy, measurement, and stewardship for the 4A’s member community.

For more information, contact Ashwini Karandikar.

The 4A’s Production Business Affairs and Operations Committee mission is to be the preeminent source for information and education about agency production operations and business affairs. The committee will:

• Monitor, share and assess significant commercial production agency operational matters, administrative practices/requirements and commercial (legal & financial) terms affecting marketing services organizations and their clients. For example:
• Print, Broadcast & Digital business affairs
• Copy clearance
• Bidding and estimation
• Cost control
• Asset identification and traffic/commercial integration matters
• Vendor agreements
• Talent union agreements and residuals
• Address common issues, establish best practices, and facilitate training, education, informational exchanges and other activities with the objective of improving the effectiveness, efficiency and economics of agency production operations.
• Inform Joint Policy Committee representatives of challenges and opportunities related to interpretation of talent union agreements, participate in JPC training sessions and fact finding requests and provide perspectives on agency requested/required talent negotiation perspectives.
• Communicate information, issues and positions to the 4A’s Board and member agencies.
• Represent the agency point of view on production administrative matters with advertisers/ANA, production consultants and producer (AICP) & editor (AICE) industry associations.
• Facilitate collaboration among members as well as collaboration with 4A’s finance and legal communities on topics related to commercial production.
• When appropriate, 4A’s Production Business Affairs and Operations Committee will encourage the association to take public positions on major business issues when it is in the best interests of member agencies, their clients and the advertising industry.

In the context of a competitive marketplace, the committee members will work together to improve the value of agency services and our clients’ appreciation of that value.

For more information, contact Sal Conte.

The purpose of the Programmatic & Automation Committee is to identify and promote best practices and leading technologies in the pursuit of a transparent and balanced programmatic ecosystem.

For more information, contact Ashwini Karandikar.

The mission of the 4A’s Project Management Committee is:

• To better understand the Project Management (PM) discipline as it operates in agencies today by developing an overall definition of PM and creating job descriptions for the function.
• To gather and/or develop information that may be provided to member agencies to assist them in their understanding of PM.
• To share information amongst the roundtable members that will help them in their day-to-day PM responsibilities.
• To elevate the role of project management in the industry.

For more information, contact Sal Conte.

The 4A’s Social Media Committee exists to legitimize, standardize, and institutionalize the discipline of social media marketing within the broader advertising industry. We will do this through education of the industry, collaboration amongst our peers, and promotion of shared interests among member agencies.

Specific goals and tangible outcomes to be produced will include:

• Act as a resource for our members and thought leader for our industry.
• Define and champion best practices for social media marketing and advertising.
• Inspire, recognize and develop future talent.

For more information, contact Chick Foxgrover.

Belief: “We believe that strategists need to be the catalysts inside of their agencies to lead a sea change in the way we work and create on behalf of our clients.”

Mission: To inspire agency strategists to be the instigators and creators of transformative creative thinking that leads to business growth.

We will deliver this via:

• Craft, training, tools etc. (our core competency)
• Celebration of Best Practice (our lighthouse)
• Community and mentorship (our reason to belong)

For more information, contact Mollie Rosen.

The 4A’s UX and experience design committee is a forum for agency user experience designers, strategists, and related professionals to inspire and champion user-centered design in the commission and delivery of all agency work. The committee seeks to accomplish this goal through: advocacy, education, collaboration, recruitment, and knowledge-sharing.

Committee mission

• Advocacy for UX and a user-centered approach within the agency environment
  • As a committee, can we provide tools for:
    • Building buy-in at the executive level
    • Finding ways to support the business case for UX to a client, so that we can get time and budget for those efforts.
    • Selling in UX as part of the pitch process

• Education of internal and external stakeholders of the value and benefit of UX
  • Can the committee help teach what UX is, why it’s valuable, in order to facilitate user research, content strategy, prototyping, testing, etc?
  • Can the committee help with overcoming clients’ as well as account folks’ resistance to primary research?

• Fostering collaboration externally with clients and internally within the agency’s departments
  • Can the committee show how to build partnerships within an agency environment to foster UX?
  • Can we create an “agency playbook” for how to partner with planners, analysts, technologists, art directors, and copywriters?
  • Increasingly, clients have their own UX staff, so how do we partner with our client’s internal UX team? What role does the agency’s UX team play?

• Recruitment efforts to attract talent for the agency world
  • How do we market the value and benefits of working at an agency?
    • We are facing higher competition for talent these days, because of consultancies like IBM, client-side positions, and large tech companies.
  • The agency world is notorious for its high turnover rate, so how do we attract and retain the best talent?
  • Do we hire generalists vs specialists?

• Knowledge-sharing within our group
  • The committee can be a venue for sharing learnings, stories, successes, and failures.
  • To gather knowledge regarding best practices and approach to user-centered client work.
  • Scrum therapy group session
  • Can we generate whitepapers about our experiences?
    • Clients increasingly want agencies to create output faster, smarter, and with less. How do we do that at the agency level?
    • Can we share our experiences with agile?

Driving Forces

1. The UX designer has now a front-line role in advertising, brand building, product and organization design
2. As design increasingly enjoys a seat at the table, it is now more important than ever that designers demonstrate leadership within their respective organizations and in their client engagements.
3. Digital transformation and innovation is a business imperative
4. As technology continues to evolve rapidly, the one common denominator is that we must continue to design with people in mind.
5. Marketing is being redefined to fit new holistic models of customer relationships beyond messaging. Technology and user experience are increasingly part of a CMO’s mandate.
6. There are new tribe(s) of professionals creating careers in advertising from data science, computer science, engineering, design and more.

Department Mission

To recruit and manage the community of digital agencies and professionals

• Ensure that their common issues are discussed and addressed by the association
• Represent their perspective on industry issues is included in association activities and communications
• Engage the digital professionals in member agencies and other industries and practices
• Provide knowledge and guidance for the general membership on digital issues
• Provide a forum for knowledge sharing
• Direct the association’s attention to important agency issues concerning technology advances
• Provide opportunities for connections and networking within the UX community

Initiatives

• Agency playbook
• Newsletters
• Resource sharing
• Quarterly in-person meetings; monthly conference calls
• Whitepapers
• Conferences
• Webinars
• Workshops

For more information, contact Chick Foxgrover.