The move underlines the emergence of shopper marketing as huge growth opportunity for consumer brands, said Integer\Hotspot CEO Di Wilson.
“We’re excited that shopper marketing is finally carving its own place in the agency world, as it’s such an important part of the brand deliverables. It’s all about understanding that everything we do starts at the heart of the shopper. ABTL and BLTL are both key parts of the mix, but if both focus on awareness alone and fail to move the shopper to buy, we will fail to make it count,” said Wilson.
The appointment was finalised at the end of 2021 after a pitch process that included the agency presenting a strategic-led response, driven by local insights, to PepsiCo, with executive creative director Gavin Meek and strategic lead Sonia Correia playing key roles in the process. Wilson says the agency is currently ‘running at full speed’ taking briefs across all categories.
PepsiCo’s products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. In 2020, it acquired food and beverage giant, Pioneer Foods to its stable in South Africa, thus adding iconic brands such as White Star, SASKO, Bokomo to its product portfolio which already included iconic brands like Lay’s and Simba.
The appointment is a massive win for Integer\Hotspot, which started life on Wilson’s dining room table 22 years ago, and has steadily established itself as a media-neutral advertising and marketing agency working across most sectors and integrated strategic touch-points. The agency prides itself on a strong TTL offering with a focus on shoppers, delivering specialised POS and brand activation, and is an affiliate of global commerce agency The Integer Group.
The agency’s edgy approach is highlighted in the upcoming book, INNOVATE™ South Africa, which says that while integrated models are a current agency trend, Hotspot was using the methodology before it had a name.
“Behaviour change has always been our primary objective, regardless of channel,” said Wilson. “Our work solves brand challenges to ultimately drive behaviour change, conversion and results, without which, we are wasting our time, our clients’ money and our consumers’ attention.”
