IAB Canada Launches NEW! Interactive Advertising Educational Certification
Program

TORONTO, May 3 /CNW/ - The Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada today launched a new Interactive Advertising Educational Certification Program to work in concert with its industry-leading line-up of Intensive One-Day Courses In Interactive Marketing + Advertising.

The Certification Program is designed to help the industry identify both novice and seasoned marketing professionals who have invested in intensive educational instruction in order to assist them in developing and maintaining expertise in various digital marketing channels.

The Certification includes the following designations:

    
    -  Digital Learning Certificate: Earned by those who have received 8
       hours of intensive instruction at any individual IAB Canada One-Day
       Course.

    -  Interactive Leadership Certificate: Earned by those who have received
       24 hours of intensive instruction at three IAB Canada One-Day Courses.

    -  Interactive Master Certificate: Earned by those who have received 40
       hours of intensive instruction at five IAB Canada One-Day Courses. (2
       NEW! IAB Canada Intensive One-Day Courses will be launched in 2010 to
       help individuals qualify for this distinction).
    

IAB Canada began providing formal education in Interactive Marketing + Advertising to the Canadian marketing community in 2004, with a 16-week Course created for the Atkinson Faculty Of Liberal + Professional Studies at York University. Over the two years that it was run, the Course graduated a total of 80 professionals.

Not satisfied with the pace of uptake by the industry, and with a deep understanding of the time-stressed nature of the individuals within it, IAB Canada re-developed the material into Canada's first-ever, Intensive One-Day Course In Interactive Marketing + Online Advertising in 2006.

In the four years since its inception, IAB Canada's Intensive One-Day Course In Interactive Marketing + Online Advertising has been taught to almost 2,000 professionals across Canada!

Following the tremendous success of IAB Canada's Intensive One-Day Course In Interactive Marketing + Online Advertising, IAB Canada has worked with its market-leading Member-companies to develop Intensive One-Day Courses In Social Media Marketing, Paid Search Marketing, Search Engine Optimization - and soon to come - Mobile Marketing.

IAB Canada's expertise in Interactive advertising instruction was recognized by the global IAB network, when IAB Canada was asked to present Best Practices In Industry Education in association with the esteemed Interact Conference in Belgium in 2009.

"IAB Canada is a worldwide leader in digital marketing education for four main reasons," says Paula Gignac, President, IAB Canada. "First and foremost, we lead because we're 'first in' with respect to both the format (One-Day, Intensive), and the types of Courses (Interactive Mktg., Social, SEO, etc.) that we teach; second, because the people who teach our Courses live and breathe their area of expertise each and every day; third, because the tactics and techniques that are taught in the Courses are supported by the most recent and respected industry research and metrics wherever possible; and finally, because the material we teach is updated anywhere from two to four times per year with information we glean from hundreds of off- and Online resources."

"IAB Canada's Courses are important to take regardless of whether you have two or twenty-two years of marketing or advertising experience," says Renata Hovorka, Group Manager, UM Canada. "These aren't 101 Courses, these are intensive, learning experiences designed to keep even the most senior of Agency managers and CMOs up to speed with digital marketing trends that are changing even as we speak."

Christopher Morden, Digital Marketing Manager, Volkswagen Canada agrees. "I've attended several of the Courses now, as have others from our company, and I encourage both Advertisers and Agencies to take advantage of the opportunities for continued learning that IAB Canada Courses offer. Volkswagen Canada is dedicated to building Interactive expertise throughout our organization, and we're proud to be IAB Canada's first auto manufacturer Member as well."

Upcoming dates and locations for IAB Canada's current round of Courses include:

    
    1) Intensive One-Day Course In Interactive Marketing + Online Advertising

       Location                 Date
       --------                 ----
       Vancouver, BC            June 14, 2010
       Winnipeg, MB             June 16, 2010
       Toronto, ON              June 17, 2010

    2) Intensive One-Day Course In Paid Search Marketing

       Location                 Date
       --------                 ----
       Toronto, ON              June 22, 2010

    3) NEW! Intensive One-Day Course In Search Engine Optimization

       Location                 Date
       --------                 ----
       Toronto, ON              June 29, 2010
    

To register for any of IAB Canada's Intensive One-Day Courses, please see www.iabcanada.com or www.iabcanadaevents.com.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada (www.iabcanada.com), is the national voice and de facto thought leader of the Canadian Interactive marketing and advertising industry, and is a not-for-profit association representing more than 240 of Canada's most well-known and respected Advertisers, Agencies, Media Companies, Service Associates, Educational Institutions and Government Associations.

For further information: about IAB Canada contact: Paula Gignac, President, IAB Canada, www.iabcanada.com or at [phone] (ext. 26)