Shopper360 nurtures young talent

Shopper360, previously known as Pos Ad Group, has launched an initiative to nurture young talents and expose students to shopper marketing through its retail advertising arm, The Retail Lab, which was introduced late last year.Located within shopper360 offices, The Retail Lab showcases the different media ideas and formats available within hypermarkets, supermarkets, pharmacies and convenience stores. To push the awareness, IACT graphic design diploma students were brought through a three-hour lesson on retail advertising, held at shopper360’s Retail Lab and conducted by Sue Ann Chew (pictured), group managing director of shopper360.She covered the type of services offered to help meet shopper demands and retail marketing. A typical client brief from an FMCG client was also displayed. How shopper360 delivers holistic proposals encompassing pre-launch, launch and post launch strategies in-store was also mentioned.Students were given prior assignments to conduct field visits, giving them a chance to observe in-store communications. After presenting their findings at the Retail Lab, they were given real life job briefs to work on proposals in groups for a reputable FMCG brand, simulating the real working world.They are set to return in three weeks to present their proposal to shopper360 staff, detailing their understanding of the brand’s background, challenges and proposed strategies utilising the various channel insight & in-store media formats available in shopper360’s network.“Courses today in Advertising are lacking a segment on retail advertising & shopper marketing. There is a big and growing demand for talents in the retail segment and very few are being prepared and trained for this industry,” Chew said.The initiative is fueled by IACT College where Chew is currently the executive chairman of. The 40 year-old institution is founded and endorsed by the 4A’s and MAA.