super.money’s campaign targets UPI frustration with real cash, not coupons

When super.money launched the beta phase of its credit-first UPI platform three months ago, the Flipkart-backed fintech received an unexpectedly strong response. The app saw nearly one million downloads, driving over 10 million transactions, a promising sign for a fintech newcomer.

These early numbers bolstered the confidence of founder and CEO Prakash Sikaria, encouraging him to officially launch the app in August 2024. A month into its public release, Sikaria told Campaign that the app is now averaging one million transactions per day, a figure that suggests rapid growth.

Throughout the beta phase, Sikaria and his team gathered critical insights that shaped super.money's long-term strategy. The standout lesson was the necessity of simplifying both the user experience and the marketing message.

This approach, Sikaria believed, will help super.money achieve its ambitious goal of ranking among the top five UPI apps in India by the end of 2024. The company has since kicked off its first digital ad campaign, taking an unusual approach by focusing not on what the app offers but rather on the shared frustrations of its potential users. “People are drawn to brands that understand them,” Sikaria explained, noting that the campaign aimed to acknowledge customer irritation with current UPI rewards.

Prakash Sikaria, founder and CEO, super.money.

At the heart of super.money's digital ad film is a simple idea: many users are dissatisfied with the rewards offered by other UPI platforms. The ad highlights common grievances with these platforms, particularly with Google Pay, where users often receive trivial cashback amounts like INR 3 after multiple transactions.

While scratchcards and gamified rewards were initially innovative, user preferences have shifted. In today’s digital landscape, customers are more inclined towards transparent, immediate benefits such as cashback rather than vouchers or points that may feel irrelevant or inaccessible.

A recent survey by LocalCircles supports this shift in consumer behaviour. The survey revealed that 62% of online payment users encountered cashback offers that were never honoured, and 67% reported difficulty in unlinking bank accounts after signing up for UPI services, often feeling trapped in subscription-like models.

These practices, often referred to as “dark patterns,” were outlawed by the Indian government in December 2023, adding another layer of scrutiny to the industry. Against this backdrop, super.money aims to capitalise on the dissatisfaction, offering instant cashback as its unique selling point.

Sikaria believes that instant gratification is crucial in today’s market, where customers expect immediate rewards for their loyalty. “It’s about aligning our offerings with what consumers want today,” he said, emphasising that the company’s strategy is driven by the need to provide real, tangible value.

The idea for the ad campaign, therefore, grew out of the realisation that existing UPI rewards have become outdated and underwhelming. Consumers are no longer interested in collecting virtual coins or unlocking obscure offers. Instead, they prefer to see their money return to them in real-time.

To help shape the creative direction of the campaign, super.money enlisted the expertise of Shikha Gupta, a consulting creative director. She approached the challenge with a straightforward message: coupons and points are disappointing; cashback is always welcome.

While several iterations of the script explored different narrative paths, the team ultimately landed on a direct, relatable storyline. The ads feature users expressing frustration with their current UPI rewards, punctuated by dismissive gestures and sounds like "Pssh" or "Meh," underscoring the anticlimactic nature of these rewards.

The campaign's light-hearted tone also gave rise to the introduction of Sumo, a goat-human hybrid mascot that embodies the exasperation of users caught up in the daily grind. This character, designed to be both humorous and relatable, represents the voice of a generation seeking more from their financial apps.

His absurdity—struggling through corporate life as a goat-man—taps into the frustrations of young, tech-savvy professionals who are tired of subpar rewards and expect better value from their digital interactions.

Sikaria’s brief to Gupta was clear: capture the common frustrations of UPI users in a way that blends humour with relevance. By doing so, super.money hopes to differentiate itself in an increasingly crowded market. The fintech wants its digital presence to leave a lasting impression, and the quirky ad film is central to this strategy.

Gupta, the erstwhile creative head at Swiggy and Slice, dismissed concerns about short attention spans, arguing that people will engage with content if it interests them. “The myth of the limited attention span has always been just that—a myth,” she said. “People watch long K-drama episodes because they’re compelling. The key is to make every second count.”

The company is also looking to boost its visibility through partnerships with high-profile celebrities and influencers. In the first phase of its campaign, super.money will collaborate with cricketer Hardik Pandya and singer Neha Kakkar, using their vast followings to engage a wider audience. The fintech plans to roll out its marketing across digital platforms and social media, aiming to generate interactive and meaningful engagement.

On the product side, super.money offers users up to 5% cashback on every merchant transaction and special deals from partner merchants such as Flipkart and Myntra. Sikaria stressed that although Flipkart backs the app, super.money operates independently within the secure UPI ecosystem regulated by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

He also emphasised the company’s commitment to privacy, clarifying that no transactional data is shared with Flipkart or other third parties. The cashback offers from partner merchants are part of the reward programme and do not compromise user data.

Looking ahead, super.money plans to expand its product offerings by integrating with NPCI's RuPay infrastructure for a co-branded credit card. Additionally, the fintech aims to launch a range of financial products in collaboration with various financial institutions, including fixed deposits and instant pre-approved personal loans. These offerings, Sikaria noted, align with the company’s goal of democratising financial services and contributing to the government's financial inclusion agenda.

As super.money continues to scale its operations and expand its market share, the question remains: will its ad campaign, which directly criticises other UPI apps, resonate with consumers in the long term? While the fintech has made a bold move by calling out subpar rewards, only time will tell whether this approach will translate into sustained user growth and loyalty.