Advertising Association Of The West - AAW

Strange as it may sound, the Advertising Association Of The West has much in common with its near-namesake, the Wicked Witch of the West. Both were created in the early 1900s, and both really know how to make a pair of shoes seem special.

A group of west coast advertising groups combined in 1904 to create the Pacific Coast Advertising Men's Association. Perhaps realizing that its name was both sexist and oddly specific about its members working near the ocean, the group eventually renamed itself the Advertising Association Of The West. These days, the AAW remains a key trade organization for advertising in the western part of the U.S.