The CMO's MO: Insurers must create a culture of care by replacing fear with empathy—Plum's Shreyas Achar

The CMO’s MO (modus operandi) highlights some of India’s eminent chief marketing officers (CMO) as they share their marketing mantras, trends for the future, and what keeps them up at night. In a free-wheeling chat, the who’s who of the country’s leading marketers give a sneak peek into their personalities, plans, and passions projects for the year ahead.

In this week's edition of CMO's MO, we have Shreyas Achar, Plum's CMO, who has over 15 years of experience in sales, business development, and marketing. Before joining the insuretech platform in 2021, he held positions at Razor Pay and CleverTap. Besides being a brand, growth, and product marketer, Achar is also an angel investor and startup mentor and advisor. 

He tells Campaign how the company is working on demystifying insurance through its marketing campaigns. 

What are the biggest marketing challenges for your brand right now?

One of our biggest challenges is ensuring that people truly understand and appreciate Plum’s value proposition—not just what we do, but why we do it and how we are fundamentally better than our competitors. Insurance has long been viewed as a reactive necessity, but we are pushing to change that mindset by emphasising the importance of preventive and primary health benefits alongside insurance. Finally, as we scale, balancing rapid growth with cost efficiency remains a critical focus, ensuring that every investment drives sustainable impact.

In light of these, what are some opportunities that your brand foresees?

Plum has the opportunity to establish itself as the gold standard in quality insurance and healthcare, both for companies and individuals. As more global enterprises enter India, their demand for high-caliber, transparent, and employee-first benefits presents a unique opportunity for us to be their preferred partner.

Our strategic partnerships with leading brands can help us create an ecosystem that extends beyond insurance—offering holistic health and wellness solutions that truly enhance employees’ lives.

Where will your marketing budgets be directed this year?  

This year, we are doubling down on what is working—scaling digital and outbound growth while continuing to invest in creative brand marketing campaigns that set us apart. Product-first marketing and customer engagement are gaining more focus, ensuring that our users experience value at every touchpoint.

We are also leveraging generative AI (gen AI) to enhance speed and efficiency across content, design, and personalisation. As always, we take a data-driven approach to optimising channel spends—constantly evaluating where efficiency and impact align.

Is this shift towards gen AI an attempt to democratise creativity or a move to join the bandwagon?

Gen AI is a creative accelerator for us—it is not replacing creativity, but enhancing it. We use AI to streamline content creation, increase output, and bring more ideas to life, faster.

Beyond marketing, AI plays a pivotal role in improving customer experience—from personalised journeys and curated content to real-time interventions that make interactions simpler, more engaging, and more inclusive.

I enjoy using gen AI for brainstorming and decision-making, whether it is refining GTM strategies, evaluating creative ideas, or even structuring hiring processes. It is a powerful tool when used right.

Is there any topic that the industry doesn’t talk about enough?  

Preventive and primary health benefits deserve more attention. Healthcare is often treated as a reactive industry, when in reality, proactive health interventions—habit formation, data-driven insights, and early risk detection—can be game-changers for individuals and businesses alike.

On the other hand, the industry needs to move beyond pricing as the sole differentiator. Companies should not make benefit decisions based purely on cost—intent, transparency, and long-term value should take precedence over a race to the bottom.

How is your company walking the sustainability talk?

At Plum, sustainability is not just environmental—it’s about building systems that last. Our shift towards preventive healthcare ensures that businesses invest in proactive well-being, reducing long-term healthcare costs and unnecessary interventions.

We have also committed to a fully digital-first approach, eliminating paperwork, reducing operational waste, and making processes faster, smoother, and more efficient. Sustainability, for us, is about creating a healthier, more efficient future for everyone.

What separates your brand culture from that of others?

Our brand is a reflection of our people. We have built a culture where talent is our moat—where creativity, strategic thinking, and customer obsession drive everything we do. Whether it is in our marketing, sales, or customer experience, our people bring an unmatched level of excellence that sets us apart.

Are there any practices in your industry that need to change?

The insurance industry has long relied on fear-based marketing and aggressive sales tactics, creating unnecessary anxiety instead of trust. It is time for a shift—to a culture of optimism, empathy, and support. Insurance and healthcare should be positioned as enablers of financial and physical well-being, not just safety nets for worst-case scenarios.

What is the best piece of professional advice you ever got?

“Have fun”. If you are not enjoying your work, find ways to make it enjoyable. This philosophy has shaped how I lead teams—we do serious work, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. Enjoyment fuels creativity and long-term success.

Which is your favourite brand campaign?

We have always taken an unconventional, creative approach to marketing—whether it was designing a card game (Cards Against Work) or framing insurance through the lens of heavy metal, ASMR, or pop culture. These unexpected ideas have helped us carve a distinct niche in people’s minds.

One of my favourite projects was our recent asset, ‘ESOP’s Fables’. It was incredibly rewarding to craft modern workplace-inspired stories, watch our brilliant team bring them to life with stunning illustrations, and witness the warm reception after launch. But the best part? Seeing these ideas spark conversations, engage people in new ways, and make insurance feel more relatable and refreshing.

Name a brand with an amazing customer experience that you really admire.

American Express is often seen as the gold standard in customer experience. Their customer service is human-first, their communication transparent, and they offer real value—beyond transactions. They have built a brand that people don’t just use—they trust.

What keeps you up at night as a CMO?

Maintaining high creative standards under tight deadlines, making the right hiring choices to build a strong team, and ensuring every prospect and customer gets a world-class experience—because that experience is our brand.