MxMIndia

Tag: Birla Sun Life

  • Jan Nivesh, an investor awareness initiative, was launched by AMFI and Times Network in Mumbai on Monday

    Times Network & AMFI announce investor awareness initiative

    By A Correspondent

     

    Times Network and Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) have in a strategic partnership announced a mutual fund awareness campaign titled ‘Jan Nivesh’.

     

    MK Anand, MD & CEO, Times Network and A Balasubramanian, Chairman, AMFI & CEO, Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company Ltd. Jointly unveiled the new logo – Jan Nivesh, an investor awareness initiative by AMFI and Times Network in Mumbai on Monday.

     

    Commenting on the partnership, Anand said: “Our association with AMFI who represent all registered Asset Management Companies under SEBI will go a long way in assisting Indians to plan their savings in a smarter manner and aid in India’s economic growth in the long run. The Jan Nivesh campaign aims to educate and inspire Indians to review their savings behaviour and consider investing in mutual funds as their main option over the years. The current buoyancy in Indian markets is an added incentive with investors across categories making noteworthy gains. We are proud of this association with AMFI and believe that this endeavour will help the common man Rise with India.”

     

    Added A Balasubramanian, Chairman of AMFI:“There is a clear case of under-penetration of mutual funds among the households in India. With Jan Nivesh, we aim to reach out to the corners of the country and educate them on the benefits of regular investing in mutual funds.”

     

     

  • The Aditya Brila Financial Services Group company urges investors to consider Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) as 'must-have' for every financial goal

    Birla Sun Life MF unveils ‘Jitne Sapne Utne SIP’ campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    Jaanoge Tabhi Toh Maanoge (JTTM) the investor education initiative from Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company Limited, a part of Aditya Birla Financial Services Group (ABFS), and investment manager for Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund (BSLMF), launched its latest TV commercial, ‘Jitne Sapne Utne SIP’ on national television on Tuesday. Directed by Shaaze Merchant, the TVC is created by Taproot Dentsu.

     

    “It has been most heartening to see the recognition and recall Jaanoge Tabhi Toh Maanoge has earned over its journey to bring mutual funds into mass India’s consideration set. ‘Jitne Sapne Utne SIP’ is yet another extension of our commitment at ABFS to drive self-realisation among mass India about the merits of making money work for them,” said Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group.

     

    Added A Balasubramanian, Chief Executive Officer, Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company Limited: “SIP is a great entry point for retail consumers to experience mutual fund investments. ‘Jitne Sapne Utne SIP’ encourages investors to look at SIP differently – not as good ‘one-off’ plans but as ‘must-have’ plans for every financial goal. In doing so, it touches upon the invaluable role SIP can play in making their many dreams come true.”

     

    Speaking about the campaign Pallavi Chakravarti, Executive Creative Director, Taproot Dentsu said, “Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund’s investor education initiative has always borrowed from real life to provide simple, useful information about mutual funds. This year, we’ve used a fact of life, to draw a parallel with SIPs: one size can’t possibly fit all. Why then do we expect that one SIP will cover all our needs? It’s a big learning, dished out in a light-hearted, relatable way.”

     

    Directed by Shaaze Merchant, ‘Jitne Sapne Utne SIP’ is created by Team Taproot Dentsu, led by Umesh Shrikhande, Agnello Dias, Santosh Padhi, Pallavi Chakravarti and Gauri Burma. Soda Films is the Production House, and Ameya Dahibavkar, Executive Producer.

     

  • Life ka Balla, a twitter contest launched by Yuvraj Singh, saw major traction from the followers of Yuvraj. The contest was viewed by more than 1.6 million followers in less than 4 hours

    Yuvi’s Twitter contest sees 1.6mn views in under 4 hours

    By A Correspondent

     

    Life ka Balla, a Twitter contest launched by Yuvraj Singh, saw major traction from the followers of Yuvraj. The contest was viewed by more than 1.6 million followers in less than 4 hours. The southpaw, who made an unbelievable comeback in cricket by scoring a magnificent double century in the ongoing Duleep Trophy, encourages the public at large to share their hard-fought moments of life on Twitter through this contest.

     

    The contest has already received overwhelming response from the ever growing fans base of Yuvraj with post including ‘winning best student award’ to ‘climbing the Himalaya’ to ‘buying the dream house’ to ‘getting married and getting a child’. The responses were posted by people of all age group across the globe.

     

    Yuvraj’s tweet: @YUVSTRONG12: Playing for Team India was always my dream. I planned for it and here I am! Truly one of my best #LifeKaBalla moments yet.

     

  • The new commercial is sunny, bright, happy, and it features Yuvi making his comeback statement, as he talks about moving on from suffering to victory.

    Debrief | Birla Sun Life: Good timing, but…

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Yuvi is back in action, and Birla Sun Life decided it’s time for another TVC. I totally back this move. Readers might recall that earlier this year, I had suggested that Birla must pull the ad they were running at the time. The one which many people felt was insensitive and exploitative, as it appeared to be feeding on the cricketer’s misery. This is what I wrote at the time: ‘Here’s a suggestion for Birla: Drop the ad immediately. And wait. Sooner or later, Mr Fighter will recover and he will be back on the cricket field. It is THEN that the advertiser and its ad agency should swing into action. And create an ad where Yuvi speaks of his ill health, the fears he experienced, and the subsequent joy and relief on recovery. No one will object to that. We all like happy endings.’

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1sDQOUHAEU[/youtube]

    Well, it’s clear these guys listened to me. J. The new commercial is sunny, bright, happy, and it features Yuvi making his comeback statement, as he bonds with children. And he talks about moving on from suffering to victory. This is obviously correct. The TVC celebrates rather than exploits, packs in insecurity, hope and success… the key ingredients for an insurance company’s ad. So all that’s great.

     

    I have just one complaint, and it’s to do with the execution. The commercial ought to have been powerful, emotive and should have left the viewer with that flags-flying feel. This would also have made the ad entertaining to watch. Currently, it’s kinda boring, you wouldn’t want to watch the ad a second time, even if you are the cricketer’s diehard fan. And yes, Yuvi’s continuous drone doesn’t help matters much.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 2.5. Good idea, average execution.

     

  • The correct thing would be to construct fairy tales around specific features of Birla Sun Life's plan

    Debrief: Birla Sun Life: What’s different??

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    The good thing Birla Sun Life has done for their new ad to promote ‘Recurring Savings Plan’ is to stay away from celebrities. Usually they use excessively wealthy cricketers, but for a middle class (and lower) product like a recurring savings plan, that would have been a huge stretch. However, the creative route they have chosen doesn’t work for me.

     

    The TVC features a combo of live action and animation. A father tells his little son the classic tale of the thirsty crow, who thought differently to fish out water from a pitcher. And by extension, the message is that Birla Sun Life also thinks differently for their customers.

     

    There are two problems with this one. One, most of us have heard of the thirsty crow fable, and therefore there’s zero novelty. And this directly hits the entertainment value of the ad. There are enough fascinating tales in the Jataka series, and many are not known by the masses. Would be a better idea to release a series of animation commercials featuring these little known stories. That would keep the viewers engaged. In any case, this is a low cost approach, therefore production budget should not be an issue.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrG9oF1yUaY[/youtube]

    Second, exactly what makes Birla Sun Life’s scheme different isn’t told to us at all. The correct thing would be to construct fairy tales around specific features of Birla Sun Life’s plan. Right now, I am left tearing my hair out, like in those ketchup commercials: ‘Isme different kya hai, bhaiyya?’ And, er, there is a huge difference between tomato sauce and investment schemes.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 2. Too broad based and unengaging

     

  • Most people find it galling to hear about Yuvi's chemotherapy sessions on the news channels, and watch this particular commercial during the break. In the light of such a strong backlash, I think the advertiser must pull the ad.

    Anil Thakraney: Why Birla must pull the Yuvi ad

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    I have always appreciated Birla Sun Life’s campaign, the one which has cricket players speaking out about their insecurities, much like we ordinary mortals do. The ads look real and they find the mark. It’s quite scary to watch celebs worry about their future. Because this means we aam aadmis and aurats should be really alarmed over what lies ahead, given our meager resources.

     

    However, things have changed a bit with the new Yuvraj Singh commercial in which the player worries about his career in the context of the cancer scare. Many have called the ad opportunistic and insensitive. I agree with that view point. But I have a slightly different take, and I mentioned that when I reviewed this particular TVC for mxmindia. Which is that if Yuvi does not have an issue with the use of his tragedy for commercial reasons, that should be fine. I mean, if the man at the center of the whole issue is cool, then so should we be.

     

    Having said that, it’s abundantly clear that many people don’t agree with my view. I have read and heard many negative reactions on Birla Sun Life’s ad. Most people feel it is deeply insensitive and off-putting, and find it galling to hear about Yuvi’s chemotherapy sessions on the news channels, and watch this particular commercial during the break. In the light of such a strong backlash, I think the advertiser must pull the ad. Because while it’s good to be an aggressive, cunning brand manager, one has to know where to get off. Being perceived as insensitive is too much of a risk to take for an insurance company. Or for any brand for that matter.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl1ujzRidmU[/youtube]

    Here’s a suggestion for Birla: Drop the ad immediately. And wait. Sooner or later, Mr Fighter will recover and he will be back on the cricket field. It is THEN that the advertiser and their ad agency should swing into action. And create an ad where Yuvi speaks of his ill health, the fears he experienced, and the subsequent joy and relief on recovery. No one will object to that. We all like happy endings.

     

    Net net: Drop the ad, dear Birla Sun Life. It’s not worth it.

     

    ***

     

    PS: Funny and dark at the same time. This video is an example of how Facebook has strained the relationship between parents and their deviant teenage children. This guy’s reaction is rather extreme… still, a must-watch for today’s parents.

     

  • The idea worked earlier, and it works now. The only question is this: Is it completely ethical for the marketer to ride on a player's rather serious illness?

    Debrief: Birla Sun Life: Topicality enhances efficacy

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Last year, Birla Sun Life ran a TV campaign where some cricketers expressed their career insecurities. I recall reviewing that work, and had quite liked it. Mainly because of the message extension: If loaded cricketers can worry about their future, we middle class wallahs should be alarmed. This was also the first campaign in India where celebs spoke like ordinary citizens. Some people will recall Yuvraj Singh’s famous words: “Jab tak balla chal raha hai, thaath hai. Jab balla nahin chalega toh….”

     

    Well, Birla Sun Life is back with Yuvi. And this time the idea works even better because soon after the World Cup win, our hunky batsman was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour. This meant he was left out of the team. (Though the up-side is that Yuvi must be secretly thankful for not being a part of the team that’s been badly humiliated in recent times.) In the commercial, the cricketer once again expresses apprehensions over an uncertain future and the need for insurance. And he also alludes to his sickness.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtJ8qM-o3J4[/youtube]

    Well, the idea worked earlier, and it works now. The only question is this: Is it completely ethical for the marketer to ride on a player’s rather serious illness? And, is it correct for the player to play along with this idea? Is it the case of being opportunistic? To be honest, there are no easy answers to this one. I would only say that Birla Sun Life has played a clever card out here. And since Yuvi didn’t mind the marketing ploy, that should be fine, I guess.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 3. Clever use of human tragedy.