Where Creativity & Marketing Meet.

Nothing reflects a society as effectively as its creative marketing. Today, creative advertising communications requires understanding evolving media platforms, audience psychologies, creative tools, business systems, and client management dynamics. As the most innovative business region in the world, Silicon Valley offers phenomenal opportunity for professional communicators. The AAF/SV is a networking, education, and mentoring resource to creative marketers in and around Silicon Valley. We’re a regional affiliation of the nation’s oldest national advertising trade association.

In growing our organization, we’re united by a set of beliefs. First, we believe professional learning should never stop.

And, while we believe technology is an important foundation for communication, we also feel face-to-face exchange and interaction is superior to strictly virtual relationships.We believe the principles of modern communications are founded on advertising standards developed over the last century. Finally, we believe in fostering collaboration and community.

We act on these beliefs in a number of ways. In addition to monthly meetings, we sponsor the American Advertising Awards {formerly called The Addys], participate in the local events, and offer a range of networking activities. We host speaking events with Valley innovators and round tables on leading communication topics. And we provide mentoring for members seeking insight and advice.

Though we live and work in the heart of technology innovation, the exchange of ideas and learning happens best in face-to-face interactions. As a non-virtual network, we do not offer webinars or online tutorials but encourage live participation in meetings and activities.

Silicon Valley is the heart of the development of new platforms and tools that are defining modern marketing. We’re at the center of the creation of more service and solutions that affect the way the world interacts than any other region. Given this, we believe the professional creative marketing community in the Valley is underserved. We offer a unique resource for exposure to people, companies, and ideas driving this change faster than anywhere else. We provide networking and educational opportunities for advertising, marketing, and communication professionals looking to get the most from this truly unique area.

The Value Of Craft

Successful creative markers are sensitive to the shifts in a fast-changing technology-driven culture that requires equal parts science and art, head and heart. Like all trades, creative communication skills should be continuously honed and treated as a craft. From marketing novices to industry veterans, learning and growth should never stop. This is why we focus on providing information and insight on the ongoing evolution of creative marketing communications.

Our Mission

The Mission of the AAF Silicon Valley is to be a vital educational and networking resource for Silicon Valley’s creative marketing community enabling the sharing of ideas and expanding professional growth and opportunity. Whether online, in print, outdoor, physical, digital, virtual, static, or motion-based, marketing communications are the living currency of every culture. But, a career in this industry has never been easy. It requires a unique balance of skills developed by best practices and tempered by industry exposure and experience. It demands understanding and comfort with evolving media delivery platforms, audience psychologies, brand strategies, creative expression tools, business systems, and client management dynamics.