Skip to content
Supercharge Your Pipeline

SmartBug Media® Partners with HubSpot to Host World Certification Day on July 10, 2020

July 1, 2020

Inspired by SmartBug’s Quarterly Event, HubSpot’s First World Certification Day Aims to Encourage Businesses to Provide Ongoing Education Opportunities for Employees While Raising Money for UNICEF 


IRVINE, Calif., June 30, 2020 — SmartBug Media®—a leading Intelligent Inbound® marketing agency that assists businesses in generating leads, increasing awareness, and building brand loyalty through inbound marketing, digital strategy, design, marketing automation, and public relations—today announced it will join forces with HubSpot, Inc., a leading growth platform, in hosting its first World Certification Day on July 10, 2020. On this day, businesses around the world are encouraged to provide ongoing education opportunities to employees during regular working hours—a concept inspired by SmartBug® CEO Ryan Malone, who conceived of the idea three years ago.

Part of SmartBug’s culture is investing in its employees’ professional development. In order to achieve this, the company suspends its normal client services operations for one day each quarter for what it coined as “Certification Day.” On this designated day, each of SmartBug’s employees can spend their time taking online classes and tutorials, learning new skills to enhance the work they produce and further their careers. SmartBug has been practicing Certification Day since Dec. 15, 2017 and plans on dedicating nearly 700 hours to training this quarter.

“For us to continually meet and exceed client expectations, stay ahead of the curve, and maintain our values around employee development, we choose to invest in training—a lot of it,” said Ryan Malone, founder and CEO of SmartBug Media. “Certification Day ensures our clients have better outcomes and our teams continuously expand their skills, the combination of which reinforces our position in the market and as the destination of choice for top talent.” 

When HubSpot recognized the success that this practice drives for SmartBug on a quarterly basis, it decided to create a version of its own—World Certification Day. Leveraging its official learning resource, HubSpot Academy, the company is making the event available to anyone who would like to work on their professional development and encouraging businesses around the world to take part in the event.

“We've seen from SmartBug how important and impactful it can be to dedicate a full day to professional and career development, and we couldn't be more excited to bring this intentional day of learning to HubSpot Academy's global audience of learners,” said HubSpot Academy Manager of Education Kevin Dunn. “We feel education is a human right. Therefore, we are proud to pair our learners’ commitment to education with UNICEF's mission to provide gender-equitable, quality education to children with disabilities, marginalized children, and those living in humanitarian and emergency settings. We hope this year’s World Certification Day becomes the inaugural event of a new annual tradition.”

HubSpot Academy, the worldwide leader in free online training for inbound marketing, sales, and customer service professionals, specializes in comprehensive certifications, singular topic courses, and bite-sized lessons for professionals looking to grow their career and business. For each certification a learner achieves in HubSpot Academy on World Certification Day, HubSpot will donate $5 on their behalf to support UNICEF’s efforts in education for children.

“Our joint venture is meant to help the business world understand the importance of continuous education,” said Jen Spencer, SmartBug’s VP of sales and marketing. “Tips on hosting your own Certification Day include choosing a day well in advance that enables your entire company to clear their calendars, and telling your customers how much continuous professional improvement matters to you and that you’ve closed down for a day to enable your employees to engage in training programs. Your customers will love your company’s dedication to growth.” 

SmartBug is not only one of HubSpot’s longest-standing partners, but the company also remains HubSpot’s highest-rated partner and one of only nine Elite tier partners in the world. For more information about World Certification Day, visit https://offers.hubspot.com/certification-day.


About SmartBug Media

SmartBug Media® is a globally recognized Intelligent Inbound® marketing agency assisting businesses in growing revenue by generating leads, increasing brand awareness, and building customer loyalty through content marketing, sales enablement, web development, marketing automation, and public relations.

As HubSpot’s 2018 Global Partner of the Year, SmartBug® is the highest-rated HubSpot partner in the world today. The company has not only been named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies three years in a row, but it has also been named to the Adweek 100: Fastest Growing Agencies list and won a number of Great Place to Work® and Comparably awards. With hundreds of awards for client work—and a team holding a combined 550 marketing certifications—SmartBug is fully dedicated to delivering client success and an unparalleled agency experience. For more information about SmartBug Media, visit smartbugmedia.com.

For SmartBug Media Inquiries, Contact: 

Jennifer Tolkachev
SmartBug Media 
949-236-6448 x865
jtolkachev@smartbugmedia.com