J Walter Thompson has entered into a training partnership with Google. Its first iteration will be the “Google All-Stars Academy,” a four-day programme that will take place this month with sessions from publisher and consultancy Contagious, digital production houses The Zoo and MediaMonks, and video platform YouTube. There will also be hands-on workshops for J Walter Thompson’s staff.
In a release announcing the partnership, Alex Brunori, head of creative agencies MENA at Google, said: “It’s an exclusive workshop, and a global first for Google. The Academy will cover the whole industry process from an innovation point of view, aligning stakeholders on the principles of the collaborative model. It will be the blueprint for future-proof solutions in a modern, integrated, digitally savvy communications agency, facilitating ground-breaking thinking and ways of operating.”
Vatche Keverian, J Walter Thompson’s MENA CEO, said: “The digital revolution has fundamentally changed the way consumers interact with, and choose, brands. As a result, the entire strategy around effective brand communications needs to evolve at a pace that matches the changes in consumer behaviour. … The Google All-Stars Academy is the next exciting step on our road to fulfilling people’s needs and expectations of brands in the region.”
The Academy will complement further trainings that J. Walter Thompson, as a selected partner, will receive throughout the year, based on Google’s products, platforms and tools.