GroupM Launches Innovative Commerce Education Curriculum Developed in Partnership with Over 15 Top Retailers, Media and Commerce Tech Partners  

A first between an agency and commerce ecosystem partners, the comprehensive three-tier curriculum addresses global trends and local difference critical to category expertise 

New York (December 12, 2023) — GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, today announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind global commerce education curriculum. The three-tier certification program was developed by GroupM’s commerce team, commerce education leader firstmovr, and over 15 retailers, media and commerce technology partners, including Amazon, Criteo and Kroger. The program certifications will upskill GroupM’s 12,000 cross-channel performance experts to create the industry’s largest community of certified commerce experts. 

 As a first between an agency and commerce ecosystem partners, the curriculum addresses the need for comprehensive, best-in-class education in a sector that is constantly evolving and innovating. Designed to address global trends and local difference, it enables any GroupM employee to learn commerce strategy and activation directly from global commerce leaders. 

 “To achieve an elite level of knowledge in a space that is changing and growing as quickly as commerce requires a commitment to and culture of continuous learning,” said Sam Bukowski, Global Head of Commerce, GroupM Nexus, “We knew we had to bring more than just a set of out-of-the box trainings to the table for our employees. We needed a true curriculum that was scalable, dynamic, and challenging, that would benefit every one of our commerce experts in over 50 markets. We’ve done that by creating a clear path to three levels of certification, leaning on internal experts and top partners to create something bespoke, relevant and unique in each market. The framework of this program ensures clients working with GroupM are always working with the best trained commerce experts in the industry.” 

 The content features custom, platform-agnostic materials and boasts more than 30 courses. Piloted in the U.S., nearly 5,000 practitioners have participated in the program to date. The program’s success has prompted a global roll-out throughout 2023, with tailored regional GroupM and partner content now available to practitioners, ensuring the local nuance of commerce is captured throughout the series. 

According to GroupM’s This Year Next Year 2023 Global End-of-Year Advertising Forecast, retail media is the fastest growing advertising channel worldwide and is predicted to exceed Linear TV and CTV revenues combined by 2028.  

Retailers and media platforms will continuously contribute to content updates, overviewing platform, algorithm and ad inventory changes to keep employee knowledge up to date. 

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Quotes for attribution:

Sam Bukowski, Global Head of Commerce, GroupM Nexus: “To achieve an elite level of knowledge in a space that is changing and growing as quickly as commerce requires a commitment to and culture of continuous learning. We knew we had to bring more than just a set of out-of-the box trainings to the table for our employees. We needed a true curriculum that was scalable, dynamic, and challenging, that would benefit every one of our commerce experts in over 50 markets. We’ve done that by creating a clear path to three levels of certification, leaning on internal experts and top partners to create something bespoke, relevant and unique in each market. The framework of this program ensures clients working with GroupM are always working with the best trained commerce experts in the industry.”

Ted Rones, Senior Manager, U.S. Agency Development, Amazon: “We are proud to have collaborated with GroupM on their innovative commerce education curriculum. This program sets a new standard for excellence in the commerce media space, and we were impressed by GroupM’s dedication to providing comprehensive, best-in-class training to their employees. The new curriculum enables Amazon to share our expertise directly with employees executing media on our platform, helping them stay ahead of industry trends and use our ad products in the most sophisticated way.”

Brian Gleason, Chief Revenue Officer, Criteo: “As the commerce media landscape continues to evolve, GroupM’s commerce investment in regularly training and upskilling their employees highlights their commitment to this next wave of digital advertising. This training program has led to a surge in certifications on Criteo technology, while also driving superior advertising outcomes for our shared clients. We look forward to our continued partnership to foster the development of leaders in the commerce media space.”

Chris Perry, Chief Learning Officer and Co-Founder, firstmovr: “This program reflects GroupM’s commitment to professional and organizational excellence, and most importantly, incremental growth for their client brands. I’m honored to be part of this collaboration and excited to see the results that come from such an inspiring and empowered team of first movers.

Jill Smith, Vice President, Kroger Precision Marketing: “Kroger pursues excellence at every stage of commerce, so, we need tight coordination with brands and agencies as we execute consumer experiences. We’re grateful for this collaboration with GroupM to share Kroger’s best practices from over 100 years of inspiring shoppers.”