NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Adweek, LLC today launched The Institute for Brand Marketing™, a new program designed to educate marketers in collaboration with IBM Watson Advertising and Adweek. Available today on adweek.com/ibm, the program offers marketers complimentary interactive online courses and live educational experiences to help cultivate their skills and knowledge to advance in a disruptive marketplace.

According to a recent study by the Economist Intelligence Unit, more than 80 percent of marketers will rely on technology to engage customers over the next three to five years, yet today's marketers lack the resources to learn about the latest innovations. Plagued by time, budget and resource constraints, many marketers find it difficult to keep pace with rapid technology innovation and fail to understand how mastering emerging solutions can help engage audiences.

The Institute for Brand Marketing™ in collaboration with IBM Watson Advertising and Adweek, is designed to help fill a void in the marketplace, offering these digital resources in two courses, each including 12 practical lessons rolled out over 12 weeks. The first course, "Advanced Marketing Technologies," focuses on how marketers can apply technologies like machine learning, artificial intelligence, and blockchain to help address their everyday business challenges. In the future, the Institute for Brand Marketing™ plans to offer a second course, "Monetizable Engagement." In addition, the program will offer online and live learning resources including articles and webinars that will be accessible via adweek.com.

"We've seen firsthand that AI adds incredible value to marketing campaigns, helping brands build connections with consumers in real-time," said Randi Stipes, Chief Marketing Officer for IBM Watson Advertising, IBM Watson Media and The Weather Company, an IBM Business. "We recognized a void and collaborated with Adweek to create a curriculum based on emerging technology to arm marketers with information to help them excel in the marketplace."

The Institute for Brand Marketing™ will also come to life via live events to connect peers with key thought leaders across the marketing industry including experiential workshops at Adweek events like Brandweek (November 3-6; Palm Springs, CA) and Elevate: AI (2020).

"Learning how to apply new technologies like blockchain and AI and create engaging, monetizable customer experiences are the types of skills becoming increasingly more important in today's ever-evolving industry," said Jeffrey Litvack, Chief Executive Officer at Adweek. "This program will help address the need for more education, training and actionable practices for today's brand marketers, and we're excited that our community will now have access to this coursework."

For 40 years, Adweek has been a beacon for the advertising and marketing community, navigating the rapid changes, global trends and societal implications of the ever-evolving industry. Adweek's mission since its launch in 1979 remains the same: how to help engaged executives and creatives do their jobs better.

About Adweek 
Adweek is the leading source of news and insight serving the brand marketing ecosystem. First published in 1979, Adweek's award-winning coverage reaches an engaged audience of more than 6 million professionals across platforms including print, digital, events, podcasts, newsletters, social media, and mobile apps. As a touchstone of the advertising and marketing community, Adweek is an unparalleled resource for leaders across multiple industries who rely on its content to help them do their jobs better.

About IBM Watson Advertising
IBM Watson Advertising, formerly The Weather Company's ad sales division, uses IBM Watson, the world's leading AI technology, to unlock data and insights to help marketers make better decisions. To learn more, visit ibm.com/watson-advertising.

For more information about the Institute for Brand Marketing™ in collaboration with IBM Watson Advertising, please visit adweek.com/ibm. For more information about IBM, visit ibm.com.

Contact:
Megan Levinson
IBM Media Relations
megan.levinson@ibm.com

SOURCE IBM