What is the CMA?
The Canadian Marketing Association is the largest association of its kind in Canada, embracing all marketing disciplines, channels and technologies. The Association has a membership of over 800 organizations from all business sectors. A recognized leader in the marketing community, the Canadian Marketing Association serves its members through three key areas:

• Advocacy: As the leading advocate, manager and authority on key public policy issues affecting marketers;

• Knowledge: Providing organizations with leading-edge marketing intelligence and professional development; and

• Community: Acting as a catalyst for networking and business opportunities within the marketing community.

Membership in CMA not only keeps you up to date on the fast-evolving marketing environment; it also educates and informs you while expanding your business network. Membership offers your organization limitless opportunities to stay on the leading edge of technology, make your business more profitable, learn and grow personally and professionally, educate your employees, have your work recognized and rewarded, make valuable business contacts, influence government and public policy issues and protect and enhance the marketplace.

ISSUES MANAGEMENT AND SELF-REGULATION

As the marketing community’s leading advocate on legislative matters, the Association devotes considerable resources to responding to key public policy issues affecting marketers. CMA has participated in a variety of government-led task forces and working groups on issues such as privacy, e-commerce, spam e-mail and fraud prevention. From time to time, the Association forms internal task forces to develop self-regulatory policies on marketing best practices, ethics and privacy.

The Canadian Marketing Association takes a leadership role in effective self-regulation. Its compulsory Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice includes a variety of measures that protect consumers including requirements for marketing to children and teenagers and marketing on the Internet.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING INTELLIGENCE

The Association promotes industry growth, development and education through a network of eight Marketing Councils that provide a forum for members to exchange marketing intelligence through case studies, white papers, articles and guidelines. CMA also offers a Professional Marketing Certificates program in Ontario and Quebec, with classes in Advanced Marketing, Advertising and Media, Direct Marketing, e-Marketing, and Integrated Branding. Other educational initiatives include the CMA National Convention & Trade Show, conferences, seminars, in-house training, roundtables and the CMA Awards program.

BUILDING CONSUMER CONFIDENCE

The Association’s Do Not Contact Service offers consumers the opportunity to register, without charge, to have their names removed from marketing lists held by CMA Members. This develops consumer confidence in marketing and aids marketers in targeting their campaigns by eliminating those people who do not wish to receive their advertising.

The CMA member logo is an important element for building consumer trust in dealing with members of CMA. By displaying the CMA member logo, as part of the Association’s Look for the Logo program, members benefit from increased consumer confidence, as the logo is recognized as a symbol of integrity and responsible marketing practices.

Operation Integrity, the Association’s consumer complaint program, is a tremendously successful watchdog and complaint handling system that has had a dramatic impact
on the business practices of direct response marketers. Complaints are received by CMA,
either directly from consumers or from various government agencies. Each report is screened and documented and receives extensive investigation and follow-up. Over 95 per cent of the cases are resolved to the satisfaction of the consumer.

A RECOGNIZED LEADER IN THE MARKETING COMMUNITY

The Canadian Marketing Association was established in 1967. Headquartered in Toronto, CMA is a national non-profit corporation with regional chapters in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia. An elected Board of Directors nominated from the Association membership determines CMA policies. A full-time professional staff manages the Association.