A trade association is also called a business association or an industry trade group. It is usually an organization that is established by different businesses that operate in a particular industry. You will find that such associations almost always take part in activities pertaining to advertising, education, lobbying and political donations.
However, the main goal of these organizations is to make sure that there is proper collaboration amongst the companies that are a part of an industry, and that there is a level of standardization across companies. Apart from this, the associations also provide some other services like organizing conferences, charitable events, and educational classes and material.
One of the main functions of a trade group or associations is to try and influence the public policy in such a way that it ends up benefitting the members of the group. This is especially true in the United States. Organizations end up doing this by contributing to the campaign of a particular candidate or a party. They also lobby legislators for supporting or opposing a particular legislation, depending on how it will affect the member companies.
Publishing is one aspect that almost every trade association actively takes part in. The main form of media published by these organizations is through their website, newsletters or yearbooks. They also take part in advertising activities, just as normal companies do. However, instead of promoting a particular product they try to promote the ideas and views of an entire industry. These ads try to either improve the industry image or shape the opinions on a specific issue. | 
