Adalysis - 2

Brand: India Infoline

Introduction:
Advertising was never the domain of stock brokers. This field usually was considered to cater to those who are too sophisticated to be influenced by messaging. Investment is essentially a careful, intricate process in which you're trying to get the maximum gain. However, with the increasing cases of investment being managed by portfolio managers or by stock brokers, the actual investor need not be involved in the intricacies and could be driven by intangibles like "Security, Trust, Transparency, Secure Future"

Background info:
IMRB found that 50% of the Indian population saves for the future, one of the highest among Asian nations and which had seen an extreme rise in recent times. The MAX-NCAER India Financial Protection Survey found that 43.6% of the investing households were salaried and the other bulk (34.6%) were those who were self-employed in a non-agricultural profession. Stocks seems to be the preferred investment of hard-core investors because most investment money flows into this option. However, investment in insurance is a more widespread phenomenon in India.

Adalysis:
Today's ad follows a very different route, with a good enough insight. The daughter's wedding is one of the most important concerns for Indian parents. This is where most of the money is spent and this is the event for which most money is saved up. They also cite the importance of investing by conveying the message that "Things beyond money, cost money!". But it mixes up a bit. I've found the following messages in the ad:

1. "Things beyond money, cost money thus money fulfills dreams"
2. "We respect your well-earned success by making your savings grow"
3. "We grow money quickly and safely"
4. (tagline) - "It's all about money, honey"

(1) works because of the daughter's wedding being a major indicator of the family's prestige. Thus, it really is a 'dream' which is beyond money, but for which money plays an important part

(2) works too. The money that is being entrusted to the brokers has been earned over years of success in career, making the right choices and struggle. Riches stand witness to how succesful a person was in his life.

(3) works. A very practical statement. While many prefer conservative portfolios of life insurance, fixed deposits, post-office savings etc... there are the hardcore investors who try aggressive investing in real estate, equity etc... In the latter case the need is a relatively quick growth of the sum invested, while the "safety" of the means of achieving the same is the greatest cause of concern.

This would work moderately well in the current economic scenario, but I am not convinced. Why not? Let's see in the Proposed Solution.

(4) er... I'm sorry. Things beyond money, safety, family prestige and all of a sudden "It's all about money, honey!" Besides sounding cheesy (I do not comment on the creative treatment in Adalysis), it is a complete disconnect. If it's all about money, honey, then why talk about all the other intangibles? Just stick to the money! It would be better to just reinforce (3).

Thus what I feel is that this brand has just gathered a bunch of insights and tied them together to drive in the point. Too bad. These would work brilliantly if:

a) one or two of them were chosen and made the central messaging
b) the different aspects were taken and treated in a phased manner - starting from concerns of investors, moving on to the very practical and systematic approach of the brand and then culminating in the intangibles like trustworthiness, security etc...

Proposed Solution:

The ING Investor Sentiment Dashboard Index found that investor confidence jumped 74% in the last quarter. 64% of investors are secure about their jobs and many have a very positive outlook for the future. This is the highest in Asia. The confidence arises from serious economics - India's growth was driven by domestic investment and domestic consumption. For example, the Retail sector was progressing slowly, with many international players in apparel retail. But the real push came from players like Spencer's and Shopper's Stop. Then the boom came with Future Group. Soon after their success, Reliance Retail, Bharti, Subhiksha, Tata etc... dived in to get a slice of the pie.

In the wake of this confidence and given that 22% investors in India (ref: IMRB-Pitch survey) believe in taking risks, there is a great opportunity to play the practical and "safety" notes.

Secondly, of this 22%, around 38% dream of setting up their own business. Here lies the opportunity to talk about security and a bright future.

Finally, the daughter's marriage and other traditions open up the opportunity to talk about trust, reputation, happiness.

NOTE: THE FEAR APPEAL (eg: Economies are down, be careful, trust BRAND A) would not work too well. Firstly because, (HBR South Asia April 2009), consumers are more receptive to positive messages, with the media harping on crisis, scams, Satyam, Madoff etc... Also, Indians have positive feelings about the future, as already mentioned.

Thus I suggest:
Step 1: "The Future is bright, the clouds are passing, opportunities are opening up"
Step 2: "Practicality and safety due to the efficiency of the stock brokers"
Step 3: "Various cultural factors and traditions - how good investing with the brand is about more than money"

Guys... please kill the tagline! And if you can't, develop on Step 2.

References:

1. Businessworld Marketing Whitebook - MAX-NCAER research
2. ING Investor Sentiment Dashboard Index - from Economic Times
3. Pitch-IMRB UrbanScape 2009 - Pitch issue March 2009
4. Harvard Business Review, South Asia, April 2009 - "How to market in a downturn"