Bob Liodice, longtime CEO of the Association of National Advertisers, will step down at the end of this year, the organization announced today, bringing a 31-year tenure to an end.
ADWEEK’s request for comment from Liodice was not immediately returned, but in a prepared statement, he expressed gratitude for “the opportunity to serve the ANA and the broader marketing community. Together with our members, we built the ANA into the leading voice for marketers and a catalyst for growth and change.”
Founded in 1910 with a “singular mission to drive growth for marketing professionals, for brands and business, and for the industry,” the ANA is the oldest trade association in the U.S. But by 1995, with the internet rewriting the rules and methods for how brands reached consumers, the organization was quickly falling out of step while also struggling with its own financial troubles.
Armed with marketing and media experience from 15 years at Kraft and as global marketing VP for Mexican telecom firm Grupo Televisa, Liodice joined the ANA that year as senior vice president, a post he’d hold for eight years before taking the reins as CEO.
Over his long tenure, Liodice has been widely credited with revitalizing the organization.
Liodice led the acquisition of five trade organizations, including the Word of Mouth Marketing Association and the Business Marketing Association, growing the ANA’s member roster from 188 to over 1,600 that encompassed 50,000 marketing executives and some 20,000 brands.
Modernizing the ad business
Truth in advertising has also been an ongoing objective for Liodice.
The ANA’s groundbreaking 2016 Media Transparency Initiative—which uncovered “non-transparent business practices” like cash rebates paid to media agencies—was among Liodice’s prominent reforms.
He was a force behind the Partnership for Responsible Addressable Media, Privacy for America, and the Coalition for Better Ads, all aimed at fostering greater consumer trust.
And his ongoing efforts to modernize the ANA include, most recently, the media measurement platform ANA Aquila, which promises “transparent, normalized data across all audiences and segments” with collaborators such as Google, TikTok, and Amazon.
The CEO has also received plaudits for his work to achieve gender parity, notably the #SeeHer initiative, which pushed for fairer and more realistic portrayals of women in advertising.
Procter & Gamble Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard—who, with ANA chair Dean Aragón, will head up the search for the ANA’s next CEO—lauded Liodice’s management and vision for the organization, leaving it “well-position for the future, with strong membership, a clear strategic direction, and exceptional capabilities,” Pritchard said in a statement.
The ANA’s announcement gave no specific reasons for the CEO’s departure. Liodice, 70, said that “this is the right time to transition leadership to the next generation, and I have great confidence in the organization’s future and continued impact.”
