FAQ

“BMA Colorado” hasn’t technically been our name for some time.  In 2015, BMA was purchased by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), and we became a chapter of that organization. The ANA’s primary focus is serving large corporate members, specifically on the “Advertisers” side of our industry. The ANA was requiring us to change our name to ANAs Business Marketing: Colorado and would not allow us to keep the BMA name, whether we stayed with them or not. Our Colorado Board felt that much of the content and benefits offered by the ANA do not serve the diverse Colorado audience of smaller companies, individual members, agencies, industry partners, and freelancers who make up our membership. The Board voted to separate from the ANA in 2018, which necessitated the formation of a new organization with a new name. 

Following the acquisition of BMA by ANA in 2015  we have been working with the leadership of the ANA and other former BMA chapter leaders to develop stronger programs for local chapters like ours. After several years of misalignment, it became clear to the Colorado Board that the ANA’s priorities simply lie elsewhere, and our Board voted to separate. Since then, we have been doing a lot of work behind the scenes to establish our new structure, form a new organization, develop a new brand, and select a new name - The Marketing Alliance. We are (finally) ready to share that with the world.  

As an active ANA member or a local Colorado BMA member, you are automatically a member of The Marketing Alliance, with all of the benefits of membership for the duration of your current membership cycle. When your current membership runs out, we hope that you will choose to remain a member of our tribe and purchase a subscription to share in benefits of membership in The Marketing Alliance.

In the past, there was an annual charge to be a member of the organization, and then additional charges for members to participate in each event. Also, a significant portion of the annual membership charge went to the national organization, while a smaller portion stayed here in Colorado.

With the new structure, all of your membership dues will remain in Colorado, making it possible for us to provide much of our programming to subscribers at no additional charge. This approach makes much more sense to us – we’re trying to build a community after all – and hopefully more sense to you as well. For larger events and the Fourteeners Awards there will still be an additional cost, but all of our Morning Brews and Evening Brews (aka our regular monthly programming) are free for members to attend.

As we continue to build momentum and establish the new organization, we hope to include other “free of charge” benefits to your membership as well.