MxMIndia

Tag: HDFC

  • The campaign has been created by Leo Burnett

    HDFC Life campaign on Term Insurance Plans

    By A Correspondent

     

    HDFC Life has launched a campaign on television, direct-to-home and digital channels to drive the need for protection. Of one’s life, of course.

     

    Speaking on the idea, Pankaj Gupta Senior EVP (Sales) and Chief Marketing Officer said: “Recent surveys on Indian consumer sentiment reflect their concerns about their own as well as their family’s well being. There is a rising sentiment that in the current situation, one needs to be even more proactive about financial planning and securing their family’s future. Term insurance is a must-have product for every individual. It protects the family financially by playing the critical role of acting as an income replacement in case of an eventuality.

     

    Added Rajdeepak Das, Chief Creative Officer – South Asia & Managing Director – India, Leo Burnett: “These past few months have brought home the fact that life is uncertain at best and highly unpredictable. But one thing that stays steady through tough times is the love for our family. And keeping this in mind HDFC Life talks about the importance of insuring yourself and thereby, ensuring that if a crisis comes unexpectedly, your family is well prepared to tackle the fallout. While we always hope for the best, we should also be prepared for the worst. We hope this campaign reaches out to maximum people and nudges them to take the first step towards securing their loved ones.”

     

     

  • Highlights that parenting is not equal to constant protectiveness

    HDFC Life’s ULIP campaign takes on bullying

     

     

    HDFC Life Insurance Company has launched a new ad campaign on Unit Linked Insurance policies for planning a child’s future. The ad highlights the issue of bullying and conveys a message that parents need to empower their children to fight their own battles, making them self-reliant.

     

    Commenting on the new campaign, Pankaj Gupta, Executive Vice President- Strategic Alliances, Bancassurance and Marketing, HDFC Life said: “As parents, financial security is not the only gift we want to leave behind for our children. We also want them to be emotionally independent. Our ULIP offerings enable parents to plan their child’s future over the long-

     

    On the creative front, Rajdeepak Das, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett South Asia said: “To truly imbibe ‘Sar Utha Ke Jiyo’ in today’s world, we needed to understand what’s happening with the kids today. Of the many problems that they face today, bullying is something that kids are unable to tackle head on. We wanted to use this as a metaphor to highlight the importance of teaching children to be emotionally independent. I am proud of how our philosophy flows through this entire campaign, and I am confident consumers will relate to it and do what is best for the emotional health of their children.”

     

     

  • Publicis' latest campaign for HDFC Mutual Funds highlights the how and why of investing

    Publicis imparts education on Mutual Funds for HDFC

    By A Correspondent

     

    The penetration of Mutual Funds in the country is very low and one of the biggest reasons for that is the low awareness of the products and the benefits of investing in them. With the objective of demystifying mutual fund investment, Publicis leverages storytelling to achieve their goal in a very simple yet profound manner. The creative shop has crafted a series of TVCs for HDFC Mutual Fund capturing distinctive situations that interestingly inform people about investing in mutual funds through simple life analogies that are seen through the lens of a little girl.

     

    In one of the commercials, we see a girl wearing a saree confidently. But later we find that she’s made a mess of it as she doesn’t really know how to wear it and looks up to her mother for help thereby highlighting the importance of taking expert advice before investing in mutual funds. In another commercial, we see the girl swimming like a fish while an older lady hesitates to even put one foot in the pool, which goes on to explain the benefit of starting early when it comes to investing in mutual funds. In yet another commercial, we see the same girl greeting an angry old uncle everyday who eventually melts and reciprocates her actions which further goes on to explain the benefit of regular investments. There are a couple more films on the same line that will run on the digital medium.

     

    Commenting on the uniqueness of the campaign, Bobby Pawar, Managing Director, CCO, Publicis South Asia says “Most people are scared of thinking about investments, because they feel it is way too complicated for them to understand. So the problem was how do you get them to listen and more importantly learn? We turned to a technique that great teachers employ i.e. make the lesson interesting and fun. From here, we drew parallels between the things life teaches us as we are growing up and the principles of investing in mutual funds. To underscore that these lessons are simple, we told stories through the experiences of a little girl.”

     

  • HDFC chairman Deepak S Parekh and McKinsey senior adviser Adil Zainulbhai inducted as Independent Directors while Raghav Bahl will be on the Board as a Non-executive Director

    Reliance Industries completes acquisition of Network18

    By A Correspondent

     

    HDFC chairman Deepak S Parekh and McKinsey senior adviser Adil Zainulbhai have been inducted as Independent Directors on the board of NW18. Meanwhile, RIL also informed that Raghav Bahl will continue to be on the Board of NW18 as a Non-executive Director

     

    Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) announced on Monday (July 7) that Independent Media Trust (IMT) of which RIL is the sole beneficiary, has completed the acquisition of control of Network 18 Media and Investments Limited (NW18) including its subsidiary TV18 Broadcast Limited (TV18).

     

    Apart from nominees of IMT, HDFC chairman Deepak S Parekh and McKinsey senior adviser Adil Zainulbhai have been inducted as Independent Directors on the board of NW18. Meanwhile, RIL also informed that Raghav Bahl will continue to be on the Board of NW18 as a Non-executive Director.

     

    With the completion of this transaction, IMT and RIL have become promoters of NW18 and TV18. The open offers to the public shareholders for acquisition of equity shares of NW18, TV18 and Infomedia Press Ltd. as announced on May 29, 2014 by IMT are in process and the Draft letter of offer has been filed with SEBI for its comments.

     

  • Dr A L Sharada, Director, Population First, tells MxMIndia that we need more ads with girls shown in a capable light

    Jaldi 5 with Dr A L Sharada: More ads must say: Yes, she can

    Population First has been at the forefront of the initiative on the way the girl child has been projected in the media. Dr A L Sharada, Director, Population First, spoke to MxMIndia on the girl child and the media and how we can prevent the celebration of the International Day of the Girl Child from being mere tokenism.

    01.  It’s good to see that the first ever International Day of the Girl Child is being celebrated. How do we prevent it from being mere tokenism?

     

    I welcome the UN, as a global body declaring October11, as the International Day of the Girl Child. This gives us an opportunity to take stock of the work that we have done so far, look further into what needs to be done and how we could take the issue at hand, forward. However the fear that it may turn out to be yet another gesture of tokenism is a valid one. The only way we can stop it from becoming yet another international day celebrated as a formality every year, is through concerted efforts to work on some of the major issues regarding the girl child.

     

    There are many issues concerning girls such as child marriages, low enrolment in schools and neglect of their health and nutrition needs. We need to advocate and lobby for more focused policies and programmes to improve the status of the girl child. We need to use the opportunity provided by the International Day of the Girl Child, every year to reflect upon achievements, fine tune our policies and redesign our programme, if required.

     

    Do you see that Population First’s efforts have had an impact on the media?

     

    I see lot of positivity and openness from the media towards these issues and a willingness to approach them differently. In the current media scenario, many of these issues are being addressed but more need attention. We, at Population First believe that we have to start a dialogue with all stakeholders, media being a primary stakeholder. We, as a nation have internalised, and have deeply ingrained patriarchal values to an extent that unless someone points it out, at times we are unaware of a possible patriarchal tone in our public communications. We need to initiate dialogues with all groups of society, so that together we can build a more gender-sensitive society.

     

    02, In your experience interacting with marketers and advertising agency professionals, do you think they are sincere in their attempts to appreciate the responsibility towards the girl child in a society like ours?

     

    Our experience with the advertising professionals has been very positive. We found them to be open-minded, willing to look at our standpoints and revise their current approach. From the time we began interacting with professionals in the advertising industry in 2008 up to today, we find a much greater presence of girls in advertising and many advertisements that are now projecting positive and non-stereotypical images of girls.

    03.  Do you think self-regulation bodies like ASCI, Advertising Club and AAAI should also take it upon themselves to promote the cause?

     

    Yes, definitely. It is important that activists working on gender issues and the regulatory bodies of media and advertising work together to ensure that the media does not project demeaning and negative images of girls. It is also imperative that  media does not consciously or otherwise, support or promote negative social attitudes and practices such as eve-teasing, commodification, objectification of women and violence.

    04.  What are your views on gender biases in today’s advertising?

     

    In 2008, during our analysis of advertisements showing girl children, we found that girls had a lesser presence and were often presented in a stereotypical fashion, for example mostly endorsing products that have been promoted by their mothers too. It was also observed that an ideal family is always shown as mother-father with one daughter and one son, or two sons. Rarely did we find ads showing two daughters. While a lot has changed in the last few years, in terms of projection of girls in advertisements, it is still rare to find an advertisement where two daughters are shown in a family setting. This, I believe, promotes the perception that a son is a must in the family. In a context where the country’s sex ratio is declining, this is a very disturbing trend.

     

    Television serials, television and print media content also further aggravate this image of women. What are your views here?

     

    Yes, it is true that the portrayal of women in print and electronic media is regressive and voyeuristic in flavour and we have to work on changing this. This is why we have instituted Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity. We have received 1500 entries this year and the quality of the content is improving. There is a lot of potential for change. The most pertinent example here is that of the popular show, Satyamev Jayate, which has suddenly got numerous issues into our drawing rooms. It shows the effect of one strong programme with a potent combination of Aamir Khan, an industry giant like Reliance and a media tool like Star TV. This shows that there is potential to bring social change. New media and its various options are also democratizing the way news now reaches out and has gained momentum with youth across the country as tools for creating public opinion. It is an exciting time to be, in terms of working with media on social issues

    05.  One view of marketers is that they need to sell to consumers, given the prevailing behavioural patterns, and that they are not in a position to correct these attitudes. How do we bring about a change in this view?

    I would like to highlight two ads here. For instance, an HDFC investment plan ad shows a father investing for his daughter’s education instead of a more common notion, such as saving for her marriage. This is a positive and refreshing approach to the product and in no way undermines the value of the product. The other ad I would like to mention is the Tata Nano ad where a small girl hugs the car, and the father gives her the car keys. This shows that the father is proud of his daughter. Giving visibility to girls in ads, is by itself crucial. We need to see more such instances where girls have to be shown in a capable light and in diverse concepts while selling a product. After all, communication is all about conveying the message effectively, is it not?

    (Interviewed by Fatema Rajkotwala)

     

  • Unless a brand can stay relevant enough for customers (existing and prospective) they are in serious danger of losing mind share – and therefore eventually, wallet share, says Abraham Alapatt

    The Anchor: Abraham Alapatt on 5 Ways a Brand survives with intense competition

    By Abraham Alapatt

     

    1. Relevance:

    As a category gets crowded and differentiation gets blurred, the biggest challenge for a brand to survive both with existing customers (survival) and to appeal to prospects (growth) is to become and stay relevant to the customer’s life and lifestyle. Unless a brand can stay relevant enough for customers (existing and prospective) they are in serious danger of losing mind share – and therefore eventually, wallet share.

     

    Category relevance may be relatively easier in some categories that are frequently used/discussed – cars, mobile phones/providers, FMCG and personal care products, fashion and lifestyle  and so on, because category relevance is a given. The challenge for brands in these categories is to remain constantly relevant to the customer’s evolving needs and aspirations in these categories where competitors are constantly changing the boundaries of relevance either at product/service/technology level or at a brand/imagery/status level.

     

    On the other hand, brands operating in relatively less “involved” categories like furniture, cement, insurance and others – need to constantly find ways to “create” category relevance and then brand relevance to stay relevant within the category. They usually attempt to do this with innovations, service +1s, etc.

     

    2. Personalization:

    Again, as categories (and brands within them) grow exponentially, “impersonalization” in product/service/process begins to become the norm – to handle the growing number of customers and resultant demands.

     

    Successful brands (especially in service categories) use this opportunity (provided by current market leaders being “impersonal”) to target a growing set of customers and prospects who are disgruntled with this and who demand/seek a higher degree of personalization or customization, by tapping into their innate need for recognition and acknowledgement.

     

    Customers (especially the more educated/affluent) increasingly demand to be “recognized” as individuals/names and not merely by a number/ID. Brands in the service space that manage to balance the need for this personalization with the added economic price that this entails are able to not just retain their existing customers, but actually grow their business because they do this effectively. Banks, especially the private-foreign banks and airlines demonstrate this well, using highly developed HNW programs with exclusive personalization privileges to their most valuable customers.

     

    3. Relationships:

    In tough times, the power of relationships to sustain and grow business cannot be overstated. The most powerful marketing brands, actually invest more heavily in building customer/prospects relationships during slow/recessionary periods as they see the very tangible benefits of this intangible asset.  So whether it’s an Apple (that grew/grows exponentially even when their peers like RIM/Blackberry are going out of business) or an Indigo Airlines that breaks even and declares record profits while the aviation industry is reeling from its worst years in recent history – there are enough examples to suggest that powerful brand-customer relationships can see brands through the toughest competitive phases.

     

    4. Transparency & fairness:

    Across the world, one of the most frequently used attributes used by loyal customers of their favourite brand and (alternately, one of the most often heard causes for customers to reject/move away from their existing brand) is transparency/fairness of dealings or their absence.

     

    Customers expect a fair and transparent relationship with their brands. So from the advertising to the salesperson’s pitch, from the showroom experience to the call centre response, from the application form to the statement/bill, from the welcome letter to the post sales complaint/service handling – brands that want to survive a hostile competitive environment, need to ensure that their processes are simple, easy to understand/use and their technology platform capable and robust enough to ensure error free billing/service and so on.

     

    Banks like HDFC inIndiahave demonstrated that fair, understated and transparent efficiency work with customers as well (if not better) than some of their peer banks that are a lot bigger, flashier and more aggressive.

     

    5. Consistency of service quality:

    Seemingly the most obvious, but sadly often the most overlooked. The mobile network that is often down/out of range, the bank ATM that is down often, the mutual fund that delivers consistently below the benchmark index/market, the car that breaks down often – these are often the most likely causes for customers to move away from their existing brands – especially when competition is tough and enticing them with juicy deals.

     

    Poor or inconsistent service obviously does little to retain customers during these testing times. Brands that want to survive and even grow during tough competitive times, would do well to review their basic product/service delivery quality and consistency to ensure it is on par if not better than peers – or run the risk of losing their customers much faster and easier than they gained them.

     

    Abraham Alapatt is Senior Vice President & Head – Brand & Corporate Communication at Future Generali India Life Insurance Company & Future Generali India Insurance Company