Mark Ritson, Nick Garrett, Kim Hamilton.
Omnicom Oceania has committed to rolling out the MiniMBA in Marketing across its client-facing leadership teams in Australia and New Zealand, in what it says is the first partnership of its kind in the industry.
More than 1,000 employees will complete the globally recognised marketing effectiveness program over the coming years under the multi-year agreement.
The program, developed and taught by marketing academic Mark Ritson, covers brand strategy, commercial marketing fundamentals, effectiveness and return on investment.
Nick Garrett, CEO of Omnicom Oceania, said the investment was designed to embed a shared standard of effectiveness thinking across every discipline in the business.
"Marketing has become more complex, and the expectations on CMOs have expanded significantly," Garrett said.
"For a long time, the industry has focused on extracting value from customers. The real opportunity now is creating more value for them and that requires a different level of thinking.
"What makes this partnership different is the scale. We're not investing in capability for a few; we're embedding it across our entire client-facing leadership.
"We talk a lot about building a culture obsessed with effectiveness, but you can't do that without backing it with real investment.
"This means all our leaders, no matter what discipline, not only having far deeper knowledge, but are singing from the same hymn sheet, using the same definitions and benchmarks of success for our clients."
Ritson said the scale of the commitment was unusual for a single organisation.
"You don't often see this level of commitment to marketing effectiveness within a single organisation," Ritson said.
"This is about embedding a consistent way of thinking at scale across markets, clients and teams and that has the potential to materially lift the standard of marketing in the region.
"This isn't training for training's sake. When you put more than a thousand people through a rigorous, evidence-based program like the MiniMBA, you're improving decision-making at scale. That leads to better strategy, better allocation of budget, and ultimately, better commercial outcomes.
"We know that around 95% of participants don't just enjoy the program, it makes them a better marketer almost immediately. It's exciting to think about what Omnicom Oceania will be able to deliver for clients with this level of capability embedded across its teams."
Omnicom Oceania said the move is part of its broader evolution from a traditional media and creative model into a marketing and customer transformation business.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.