From email to AI: DMA’s Chris Combemale on five decades of disruption

After half a century in marketing, the outgoing DMA leader has seen the industry transform again and again. But while technology has improved, the fundamentals remain the same.

· Marketing Week

By Josh Stephenson 18 Sep 2026 7:00 am

There are not many people who can claim to have watched almost half a century of marketing evolve from the inside.

Chris Combemale is one of them. Over 47 years he has worked across advertising, direct marketing, martech and, for nearly 20 years, at the DMA.

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