Naver is introducing a new system to objectively verify the expertise of staff at its official advertising partner companies as it moves to maximise advertiser performance. It aims to raise partners' operating capabilities in line with an increasingly diverse advertising environment based on artificial intelligence (AI).

Naver said on Tuesday it has newly introduced an "Advertising Expert Certification Program" that verifies partner staff members' capabilities to operate ad products.

The program quantitatively evaluates staff members' ability to use products through an online test called "Naver Ads Expert". Those who pass are officially certified by Naver as experts. Anyone at a Naver official partner company can take the test through the "Advertiser Center".

In June, the first month of implementation, tests in search ads (SA) and display ads (DA) will be introduced first. Later in the second half of this year, subjects related to Naver's AI-based advertising solution "Adboost" will be added.

Each subject comprises a total of 40 questions. Test-takers must score at least 80 percent of the total to pass. Successful candidates will receive an official certificate online, which remains valid for 1 year from the certification date.

Naver will also run a separate promotion to encourage the system to take root. It plans to provide Naver Pay points to early passers and high scorers, and to select partner companies with strong participation and pay support funds described as money for staff dinners.

Jae-young Han (한재영), Naver's advertising sales leader, said, "We established this certification program so that official partners can directly and quantitatively verify their practical ad operation capabilities and, based on that, aim to optimise advertiser performance." He added, "We will continue to advance advertising products that raise advertiser performance, and we will also make various efforts so we can support the growth of partners' capabilities in using them."