VIDEO: In conversation with Integer's Dan Paris and Sreejit Nair

Integer, TBWA’s promotional, retail and shopper marketing agency, has officially launched in India.

Dan Paris, regional managing director - Asia Pacific, Integer, said, “The main reason for launching Integer is that it’s a great part of TBWA’s global business. With ever-decreasing levels of investment and media fragmentation, more and more clients are focussing on the moment of truth - or when the products get sold.  As far as India is concerned, it’s developing as a market very quickly. The retail landscape is maturing; it’s a complex retail environment, as diverse as the rest of Asia put together. There’s no question all our clients are looking for help in this space. So, the timing is right.”

Sreejit Nair, managing director of the India operations, revealed that Integer India has started work on some projects with Procter & Gamble and Pepsico. He said, "What used to happen earlier was that a TV grab would be rolled out in retail,  but it wasn't necessary that the same person consuming TV would be the one on the shop floor. With the advent of modern retail, companies are realising they have to focus on the shopper and not just the person who's consuming the ad."

Paris added, “Some of our TBWA clients are asking for help in this space, so it’s natually evolving that way, but it may be the other way around as well.” On the personnel front, he said, “A number of people will be dedicated,  and the others would be ‘shared services’.” 

On trends being seen in the retail space in APAC, Paris said, "The universal trend is that shoppers are becoming more mobile, and more and more clients are bringing in QR codes and various interactive elements into the way that they message within retail. Promotions are beaming increasingly digital; social media has a role to play in shopping (n fact a lot of shopping is social in some markets). But at the same time, the same challenges are everywhere, which is that there's a lot of fighting for messaging within a cluttered retail environment. But the overall trend is also of improving the retail environment for smarter shoppers. Our role is to dig deeper into that kind of insight."