Delegates representing 32 top media agencies from four countries (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa) gathered at a three-day summit in Johannesburg from 29 March to 1 April, where a Facebook team from around the world trained them to become Africa’s first Facebook Agency Ambassadors. The collaborative training equipped participants with the resources they need to understand how to drive real business results through digital marketing, and in turn share this knowledge within their organizations. The forum also afforded an opportunity for the agency representatives to provide feedback to Facebook. “We’re so excited to launch the Facebook Agency Ambassador Program, a first for Africa,” says Nunu Ntshingila, Head of Africa for Facebook. “As media transcends to digital, it’s of crucial importance that these Ambassadors are equipped to take their learnings back to their agencies – both digital and traditional – so that they can make the most of the digital opportunity, and ultimately grow brands and businesses.” The programme incorporates Facebook Blueprint, an education program that trains agencies, partners and marketers on how to use Facebook. Combining online courses, in-person training and certification, Blueprint trains marketers on everything from campaign optimization and how to use video on Facebook to effective ad measurement solutions. The foundation of Blueprint is its eLearning center, which features more than 50 online courses and has tracks organized by category, such as direct response marketing, as well as tracks designed for specific roles, such as digital buying. According to Elizma Nolte, Head of Business Marketing for Facebook Sub-Saharan Africa, “Our goal with the Agency Ambassador Programme is to empower agencies to help their clients make the most of our platforms.” The firm says the training will also help it listen to agencies and learn more about what they need in their specific markets, so thatit can improve offerings across the Facebook family of services.
