The world of leadership education for digital advertising and marketing is about to change. Having spent the past seven years working at a tier-one research university and delivering programs to top 100 firms around the globe, I have seen how management education can transform organizations and catapult individual careers This Fall we are launching the IAB Digital Leadership Program and I am excited to build upon past success by migrating the educational model outside of the ivory towers. In combining the academic rigor of traditional executive education with a tactical, real-world focus customized specifically for today’s new media marketplace, IAB is forging a new path for digital leaders.
Digital Leadership vs. Traditional Executive Education?
We have seen many IAB member companies struggle to stay ahead of changing technologies and to reinvent their business models for the new digital world. From more empowered customers to a proliferation of suppliers and choices, traditional strategies and approaches are rapidly being replaced with newer models and younger firms who are more nimble. The need for a leadership education curriculum designed specifically to guide the media and marketing industry through these fluctuations has never been stronger.
While IAB’s Certification programs have addressed the need for industry education on the front lines, there exists a gap in knowledge, skills, and training for senior digital media managers and directors IAB’s Digital Leadership Program will fill this gap by offering coursework that will prepare mid-level professionals with the managerial and business strategy skills needed to succeed in their careers and to rise to the top of the industry.
IAB’s member base of more than 650 leading companies is responsible for selling, delivering, and optimizing 86% of digital advertising and marketing campaigns across the globe, and we assembled an Advisory Board made up of the industry’s greatest minds to create the program’s curriculum.
Participants will learn how to develop a successful competitive strategy and to position their brands and digital products, as well as how to avoid common pitfalls that many media companies have made. They will amass a set of practical tools and important questions to ask of their teams across sales, data, and measurement. Our faculty of instructors is comprised of experienced business and thought leaders who have successfully navigated the digital landscape and they love telling war stories of what worked or didn’t and why.
An Interactive Learning Experience
By taking leadership education outside of the university, we are also looking to push the educational experience beyond the classroom.The majority of the curriculum will be taught through exercises, simulations and role-playing. Participants will visit digital media incubators, work environments, and other leading facilities to see examples of best practices first hand. Programs also include capstone projects in which participants apply their education to real world scenarios. We envision that the program will leverage state-of-the-art educational technology, ultimately through an online portal and interactive apps.
First Open Enrollment: October 2015
Our first course offerings for October 2015 are now open and will be hosted in the IAB Ad Lab in NYC. This six-module program is our foundation curriculum and will introduce participants to the essentials of digital leadership.The program is limited to 35 participants per class and it is our recommendation that firms nominate participants. Registration will be prioritized for IAB member companies, with non-member firms having an opportunity to fill any remaining spots.
More to Come from IAB Digital Leadership
IAB will also able to offer on-site versions of the Digital Leadership Program privately for our member companies, because the curriculum is designed to be highly customized for their specific needs. Course material, exercises and speakers can be modified to help organizations achieve strategic training outcomes. We will also offer formal mentorships and consulting opportunities after the training to help implement ideas and projects that are started throughout the program.
With such a need in the digital media and advertising marketplace for a leadership program, I can’t wait to get started and prepare the next generation for the road ahead.
Learn more here or reach us at [email protected]
