SEMPO Threatened by SMA-MA

Just when you thought SEMPO had inhaled its last breath and quietly slipped away, we hear that they're not only still around, by very much scared of the newly created SMA-NA. According to an Nice move! Just when SEMPO was trying to convince the industry that their motives were not purely to promote the select few, they go ahead and demonstrate that they have no intention of doing what is best for the industry. Can you imagine the DMA refusing you to participate in a meeting because you were also a member of the AMA? Crazy. Hat-tip has more on this topic, including these quotes: "I got a bird's-eye view of the issues, politics and personalities. I realized that SEMPO is fundamentally broken. It's outlived its usefulness," Ian McAnerin, a Canada-based search marketer who is leading the creation of the SMA-NA working group. "We're not the first, and we won't be the last organization for search engine marketing," said Dana Todd, SEMPO vice president. "We have a very specific mission, and other groups have different interpretations of what their needs are. If anyone has the wherewithal and the fortitude, I think it's great." "The vision of SEMPO is to be involved in the industry, not in the members necessarily. The research we put out in December showed that we're thinking long-term," added SEMPO chairperson Barbara Coll. "I don't think the regional SMA groups are going to focus on the industry, they seem to be about making sure the members are getting benefits." Andy Beal is an Marketing Pilgrim and reach him at