The unifying voice for advertising.

Community

As the advertising industry’s trade federation, AAF fosters a strong professional community where creatives, marketers, educators, and students learn together, share ideas, and support one another, with the shared understanding that collaboration and collective growth are essential to advancing the industry.

Advocacy

AAF protects and promotes advertising through coordinated grassroots engagement at the federal, state, and local levels, mobilizing members to educate the public and lawmakers alike.

Recognition

AAF celebrates excellence and raises professional standards by running major awards and honor programs, including the American Advertising Awards, which recognizes outstanding creative work across the country in a multi-tiered competition.

About the District

The American Advertising Federation District 6 represents eight affiliate local professional advertising clubs in Indiana, Illinois and Michigan, consisting of thousands of members. As a member of the AAF D6, each club and its individual members are automatically a member of the national organization, the American Advertising Federation (AAF) headquartered in Washington DC.

The AAF District 6 is one of 15 districts throughout the United States. AAF District 6 is district member in good standing with the AAF Central Region, which consist of 84 ad clubs in 18 states from 5 districts, all comprising of more than 10,000 members.

In addition, the AAF D6 is proud of the college chapter associations of over 29 campuses in three states that participate in the National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC). Consistently, year after year, District 6 hosts one of the largest NSAC events in the country.

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Days on the Hill

AAF’s signature advocacy event that briefs attendees on key policy issues and equips them to engage elected officials, showcasing the strength of AAF’s nationwide grassroots network. A longtime federal tradition, state-based Days on the Hill are new for 2026, so get involved today!

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NSAC

Run nationwide every April, the National Student Advertising Competition is the premier college advertising event where students gain real-world experience by building a full strategic campaign for an A-list corporate client and presenting it to corporate and respected industry judges.

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Awards

AAF champions the best in our industry with a variety of awards programs, most notably the American Advertising Awards: the industry’s largest and most representative yearly creative competition, recognizing and rewarding excellence in the art of advertising, marketing, and design.

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Events

AAF chapters are encouraged to offer local events, from speaking engagements to social mixers to student portfolio reviews and more. District-wide events, Central Region events, and National events are also available to all AAF members. Share your local events with us as well!

Take me to the calendar

Club Resources

AAF supports leaders and members with practical tools, training, and curated content like chapter-management resources designed to help clubs promote programming, grow membership, and deliver member value. Whether you already have a club or want to start one, we've got you.

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Club Competitions

AAF offers competitions such as Distinguished Club, our points-based district-level recognition program that rewards local clubs monetarily for completing leadership, membership, and governance milestones.

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Who We Are

The American Advertising Federation District 6 Board is made up of a dedicated group of talented professionals from Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan who volunteer their time, insight, and energy to support and strengthen our member clubs and the advertising community across the district. Representing a wide range of disciplines and experiences, these officers work collaboratively to advance AAF’s mission through leadership, advocacy, and service.

Meet the AAF D6 Board