Outbrain brings its certification programme to India

Content discovery and marketing platform, Outbrain, has announced the introduction of its proprietary certification programme – Outbrain Academy – in India, after its May 2016 debut and subsequent global rollout.

Outbrain Academy is an industry-first certification training for performance and native discovery. Its establishment comes at a time when the industry is embracing increased investment in native content discovery as part of a shift towards performance-driven marketing.

The idea behind the programme is to provide the industry with a better understanding of the full-range of Outbrain’s discovery solutions; helping digital practitioners maximise ROI and differentiate themselves in a competitive market.

The certification programme will provide media planners with advanced skills and the best-practice methodologies required to turn brand stories into targeted digital consumer journeys and measurable results, via the Outbrain discovery platform.

“Native discovery has become an integral part of the marketer’s digital toolkit, and its growth has continually pushed the envelope for Outbrain, spurring us to always evolve and stay ahead of the strategic needs of marketers – both in India and across the globe,” said Sandeep Balani, Head of India for Outbrain.

“Our goal is to provide professional training and recognition to individuals, and build the skillsets they require to deliver concrete outcomes for their brands. This is crucial as we’ve reached an inflexion point with the industry moving beyond ‘traffic’ as the singular success metric for performance and content,” added Balani.

The first instalment of Outbrain Academy in India will take place in Mumbai on October 25 with Interactive Avenues as the first agency to come on board. Conducted in real-time by Outbrain’s expert team, the training will certify the agency’s media planners, and will gradually be rolled out to other agencies in the country. Interactive Avenues is part of the IPG Mediabrands family.

Amardeep Singh, CEO of Interactive Avenues, said, “Over the past 12 months, we’ve observed an increased commitment in India from brands investing in native advertising, branded content and long-form videos, and we believe our media professionals will need to be equipped with a new set of skills to effectively strategize and deliver on our clients’ expectations. We are excited to be the first agency to complete the Outbrain Academy in India, and we are confident it will provide the tools, insights and technology competencies to take full advantage of the opportunities in this space.”

Participants of the programme will be led in the development of practical skills, including campaign setup and management, measurement and performance optimisation through the Outbrain full product suite. Outbrain will also share data from its unique consumer insights with the certified agencies.

The Outbrain Academy has already certified over 500 professionals around the globe since its launch. The global roll-out of its certification programme represents an on-going commitment by Outbrain to lead the investment in industry understanding of the still relatively new native discovery discipline. Outbrain Academy will be releasing additional course dates for eligible executives through the remainder of 2017 and into the New Year.

Outbrain connects marketers to their target audiences and help publishers personalise and monetise their digital properties. Its recommendation engine uses proprietary interest and behavioural data to capture people’s attention at every stage of the customer journey.

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