[1][non-primary source needed] The AMA was formed in 1937 (88 years ago) (1937) from the merger of two predecessor organizations, the National Association of Marketing Teachers and the American Marketing Society.
The American Marketing Association has a board of directors that are elected annually by its members[3][non-primary source needed] and a set of councils that are appointed.
The group's name changed to the National Association of Teachers of Marketing & Advertising (NATMA) and then the National Association of Teachers of Marketing (NATM) as its focus expanded to marketing, incorporating educators from a variety of disciplines, including economics and accounting.
Lewis and Owen explained that the first president, Paul Nystrom, "expressed a need to find ways of lowering the cost of marketing, a concern for criticisms against marketing, and an interest in finding 'useful tools and devices in marketing practice'".
The association was housed at the University of Illinois in its early years and eventually moved its headquarters to Chicago as its professional staff expanded.