 "SBI Life: How to live life to the fullest")
SBI Life is celebrating life and its little joys with a new advertising campaign, 'Ab har shouk poora hoga' (fulfil every wish now). In this campaign, the protagonist - a young professional - is seen indulging himself without feeling guilty, giving out a simple message that one can continue enjoying the small luxuries of life without worrying about saving for a stress-free future.
In its earlier advertising, SBI Life has always taken the emotional route to connect with its audience while at the same time demonstrating the benefits offered by its plans very strongly. In that sense, the brand's latest campaign is a break from the past as it asks people to splurge rather than skimp. What explains this shift in focus?
"Essentially we were looking to create a differentiated communication plank for SBI Life, break the clutter and communicate the benefits of wealth creation with the insurance category," says Braj Kishore, head, brand and corporate communication, SBI Life Insurance. Given that, the company's brief to the creative agency was to create a campaign that communicates the benefits of the product in a refreshing and humorous way while staying true to the brand's proposition of 'Celebrate Life'.
"This campaign very reassuringly puts forth the idea that once an individual has taken care of his family's needs, he might as well relax and indulge himself. SBI Life's wealth creation with insurance plans acts as an enabler in that direction and empowers him to afford the little luxuries."
The campaign has been conceptualised by O&M; the target audience spans SEC A to SEC C, across geographies. According to industry estimates, Rs 20-25 crore has been spent on the campaign.
Abhik Santara, senior vice-president, account management, O&M, says, "The client brief was pretty simple - get consumers to see SBI Life's wealth creation with insurance plans in a new light. The product offered consumers the opportunity to earn a second income by investing in the plan along with a life insurance cover." He adds, "A dipstick study among consumers showed that a majority of the brands in the category use emotional communication. We wanted to create some differentiation in the consumer's mind which led us to use subtle humour."
Increasing brand saliency was another key objective for the agency. To stand out in the clutter the brand message needed to communicate the benefit of the product in an interesting manner. "The common man in India spends his whole life and money on everyday, mundane things. We wanted to show him life can be different. Our film shows that common man indulging in an expensive hair wash at a very fancy salon. All that for a few strands of hair! We have tried to make the point that with the right plan, you can live life the way it is really meant to be lived. 'Ab har shouk poora hoga' takes forward the brand's core proposition of celebrating life," says Santara.
Apart from an engaging campaign, SBI Life is betting on its strong distribution network to promote the wealth creation with insurance products. With the focus clearly on 'splurging', does the brand run the risk of promoting reckless behaviour in a category that promotes caution and savings? Santara allays any such fears, and says, "While working on the campaign it was important for us to use a situation that was relatable as an everyday insight, while at the same time, not come across as being irresponsible. It was also critical to strike the right balance in terms of humour without making it slapstick or over the top. Our message to viewers is that when your future is secure it is okay to indulge a little and live life to the fullest."
In its earlier advertising, SBI Life has always taken the emotional route to connect with its audience while at the same time demonstrating the benefits offered by its plans very strongly. In that sense, the brand's latest campaign is a break from the past as it asks people to splurge rather than skimp. What explains this shift in focus?
"Essentially we were looking to create a differentiated communication plank for SBI Life, break the clutter and communicate the benefits of wealth creation with the insurance category," says Braj Kishore, head, brand and corporate communication, SBI Life Insurance. Given that, the company's brief to the creative agency was to create a campaign that communicates the benefits of the product in a refreshing and humorous way while staying true to the brand's proposition of 'Celebrate Life'.
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Was there a need to change tack? People find the insurance buying process tedious, boring and at most times, intimidating. That feeling is reinforced by category advertising that typically sways between being fear inducing or extremely emotional. In its mass media communication over the years, SBI Life has painstakingly stayed away from negative messaging, but had based its appeal on emotion. The idea has been to demonstrate to the chief wage earner of the family the need to be prepared for life's unforeseen challenges. Kishore says the new campaign builds on this core message of the brand.
"This campaign very reassuringly puts forth the idea that once an individual has taken care of his family's needs, he might as well relax and indulge himself. SBI Life's wealth creation with insurance plans acts as an enabler in that direction and empowers him to afford the little luxuries."
The campaign has been conceptualised by O&M; the target audience spans SEC A to SEC C, across geographies. According to industry estimates, Rs 20-25 crore has been spent on the campaign.
Abhik Santara, senior vice-president, account management, O&M, says, "The client brief was pretty simple - get consumers to see SBI Life's wealth creation with insurance plans in a new light. The product offered consumers the opportunity to earn a second income by investing in the plan along with a life insurance cover." He adds, "A dipstick study among consumers showed that a majority of the brands in the category use emotional communication. We wanted to create some differentiation in the consumer's mind which led us to use subtle humour."
Increasing brand saliency was another key objective for the agency. To stand out in the clutter the brand message needed to communicate the benefit of the product in an interesting manner. "The common man in India spends his whole life and money on everyday, mundane things. We wanted to show him life can be different. Our film shows that common man indulging in an expensive hair wash at a very fancy salon. All that for a few strands of hair! We have tried to make the point that with the right plan, you can live life the way it is really meant to be lived. 'Ab har shouk poora hoga' takes forward the brand's core proposition of celebrating life," says Santara.
Apart from an engaging campaign, SBI Life is betting on its strong distribution network to promote the wealth creation with insurance products. With the focus clearly on 'splurging', does the brand run the risk of promoting reckless behaviour in a category that promotes caution and savings? Santara allays any such fears, and says, "While working on the campaign it was important for us to use a situation that was relatable as an everyday insight, while at the same time, not come across as being irresponsible. It was also critical to strike the right balance in terms of humour without making it slapstick or over the top. Our message to viewers is that when your future is secure it is okay to indulge a little and live life to the fullest."