VivaKi IQ Academy Revolutionizes the Learning Experience for Publicis Groupe Agencies

Unique Training Platform and Curriculum Designed to Scale Programmatic Expertise

Chicago, IL – February 17, 2016 – Following Publicis Groupe’s transformative “Power of One” restructuring,VivaKi today announced the launch of the VivaKi IQ Academy_™ platform, a first-of-its-kind training destination built to equip Publicis Groupe agencies with the expertise and knowledge needed to understand and activate campaigns in this new age of data, technology and automation.

VivaKi IQ Academy is deployed via Adobe’s new self-serve learning management system, Captivate Prime. Through Publicis Groupe’s strategic partnership with Adobe, VivaKi took an active role in roadmap development to build a customized, one-of-a-kind learning environment for Publicis Groupe employees. VivaKi is the first company to create a learning curriculum of this type and scale in the marketplace.

The first area of focus for VivaKi IQ Academy is programmatic media and marketing. Via an interactive curriculum, Publicis Groupe employees can achieve VivaKi’s Programmatic Certification – a unique badge that identifies recipients as programmatic experts in the media, marketing and advertising industries. Content for this curriculum was informed and shaped by programmatic subject-matter experts, industry specialists, agency leadership and instructional designers.

Having shifted its programmatic capacity from a trading desk model into the Publicis Groupe media and digital agencies earlier this year, VivaKi has taken on a central role, acting as the engine that powers new solutions and enables programmatic expertise across the entire organization.

“We made a very bold statement to the industry with Power of One. Breaking down silos will enable greater flexibility for our clients to access the best of Publicis Groupe,” said Maurice Lévy, chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe. “VivaKi IQ Academy is one clear example of an offering that sits at the center of our organization so that all agencies can benefit. Programmatic has never been more important and clients are hungering for greater understanding. Our curriculum ensures that our people are prepared to lead their clients into the future.”

“VivaKi sits at the center of Publicis Groupe and our mission is to scale data, automation and tech solutions across the organization,” said Stephan Beringer, CEO of VivaKi. “VivaKi IQ Academy has been developed expressly for Groupe clients, who demand the highest levels of programmatic acumen from all of our agencies. We are launching the industry’s most advanced programmatic training and certification to ensure we provide uncompromised capabilities, and our content roadmap will evolve so that we continue to expand our competencies ahead of the market.”

Programmatic Certification courses are now available to all Publicis Groupe employees in the U.S. Localization of content and expansion into other global markets will take place in Q2 and Q3. New curricula will be added to fit the growing needs of the agencies and the dynamic pace of the industry-at-large.

“This is an innovative investment made by Publicis Groupe and we are excited to be a part of a program of this scale,” said Shantanu Narayen, president and CEO of Adobe. “As businesses face the challenge of digital disruption and the need to transform, agency partners that have this digital know-how are critical. We are proud to have a longstanding partnership with Publicis Groupe, to jointly push the boundaries of technology and greatly benefit our joint customers.”

“We applaud VivaKi for creating an industry-leading, programmatic certification offering,” said Michael Theodore, SVP of Learning and Development at the IAB. “They have made a significant investment of time and resources to develop a training curriculum that has the power to shape the industry’s understanding of programmatic.”

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