The CMO’s MO: Sapna Desai urges brands do go digital, but not ditch the human touch

The CMO’s MO (modus operandi) highlights some of India’s eminent chief marketing officers 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 shine a light on their personalities, plans, and passion projects for the year ahead.

In this week's edition of CMO's MO, we have Sapna Desai, the chief marketing officer of ManipalCigna Health Insurance, who has over two decades of proficiency in digital and data driven marketing, business strategy, go-to market strategy, developing consumer propositions, and change management across diverse service sectors.

She has worked with companies like Ogilvy & Mather, ING Vysya Life Insurance (now HDFC Life Insurance), and Cigna TTK Health Insurance. Among the various awards and accolades, she was recognised as Pitch CMO of the Year in 2022, ‘Most Talented Marketing Professional in Financial Services’ and also among ‘100 Influential Marketing Leaders’.

What are the three biggest opportunities for your brand?

As a brand, we are constantly inspired to seek the answer to one important question: Why? This is where the opportunities lie to create relevance and drive preference for our proposition.

Our country’s diversity is reflected in varying healthcare requirements across regions. This provides us with an opportunity to cater to the broad market by offering products customised to meet people’s needs, whether the customer is based in a metro or a tier-3 town.

Technology also presents a booming opportunity to enhance the customer journey. From AI-driven chatbots to seamless app interfaces, technology allows us to redefine how customers experience insurance—making it simpler, faster, and more intuitive.

Finally, our focus extends to critical areas such as women’s health and other underrepresented segments. There is a growing need for affordable, predictable, and simple health insurance products catering to these segments.

How are you using Gen AI to democratise creativity?

Generative AI (Gen AI) is helping us push creative boundaries, in marketing and beyond. This has been a result of early integration, as we saw the potential of Gen AI beyond the surface level, and recognised its applications that help deliver value.

AI supports quick turnaround, learning faster by analysing responses and trends, and make early tweaks which can in turn result in maximum output. We were one of the first brands in the BFSI sector to have an official AI-generated 3D mascot, Sarvanand, our witty expert.

We must understand that Gen AI can enhance human creativity by suggesting ideas and streamlining the creative processes. However, we should not ignore the aspect of artistic expression that humans can bring. The future is to maintain the balance between artificial intelligence and creative intelligence.

Which industry topic doesn’t get talked about enough? 

The fact that health insurance is a necessity and not an expense should highlighted. The financial strain due to a single hospital trip resulting from a medical emergency is enough to eat away the savings of an uninsured or an underinsured family.

Health insurance helps hedge this risk, as insurers pay to cover any health crisis. As a nation, we have seen an uptick in investments that provide returns, but the time is now to acknowledge the fact that, ‘Mutual Fund Sahi hai, lekin Health Insurance zaroori hai’ (Mutual Fund is right, but health insurance is essential).

Which topic should the industry stop talking about, and why?

Our obsession with digital transformation should, however, be curtailed. While going digital is important, the conversation often revolves around flashy tools and trends rather than genuinely solving customer pain points. The focus should shift from ‘being digital’ to ‘being human through digital’, ensuring technology enhances the customer journey and delivers meaningful outcomes.

What has been the best professional advice you ever got?

Over the years, I have been fortunate to have been guided by some of the brilliant minds, so it is difficult to single out any one piece of advice, so let me share the two important mantras that I swear by. The first one is ‘never stop learning’. It is very important to expand your knowledge, look out for engaging content, meet new people; this will add to your perspective.

Another good advice has been, ‘be the customer’s voice and take an outside-in approach’. We are in a sector that serves human customers, so it is important not to ignore the human element. Thinking from the customer’s perspective can help overcome myopic strategies and bring in necessary reframing as you start seeing things from multiple perspectives.

Where are you investing your marketing budgets this year? In what areas are you increasing or cutting spends?

Towards the end of 2024, we launched our campaign, Sada Secure Raho, featuring Jaaved Jaafri. The first leg of the campaign featured a series of three films that highlighted real-life challenges individuals may face when confronted with medical emergencies. In the second phase of the campaign—which is currently ongoing—we went live with a radio initiative across 63 locations in 21 Indian states.

Digital marketing is one of the key components of our marketing mix, along with on-ground activations, as that is where we work to build awareness about the brand as well as overall health insurance.

Tell us one personal thing about yourself that others might not know.

I am a certified leadership coach and deeply passionate about sharing knowledge and guiding young professionals, especially women, to navigate their life journeys.

What’s your favourite brand campaign that you participated in or wish you had?

One of my favourite campaigns by us was ‘Health Ki Keemat’ (Price of health), which we launched two years back. The campaign focused on the idea that health is priceless, yet many overlook its value until it is too late. By highlighting real-life scenarios and tapping into the emotional connection people have with their well-being, we managed to build a strong resonance with our audience.

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

A great example of a brand with an amazing customer experience is Taj Hotels. In my experience, staying at multiple hotels around the world, two factors that stand out in favour of this brand are consistency and customer empathy. The brand delivers uniform experience across locations, which is integral for any hospitality brand. They go above and beyond to make guests feel valued, which showcases their dedication to serving the customer.

What do you feel separates your brand culture from others?

We promote a One-Team culture, encourage innovation, and are highly focused on making a positive impact on the health and financial well-being of millions across India.