Aviva aims at championing father-child relationship space

What triggered the thought of bringing about a change in brand's messaging ?

Three years ago when we started our journey with BBDO (in 2009), we wanted to differentiate ourselves from the 24 other players in the market, and become more relevant to the consumer. Our research showed that parents’ major concerns revolved around their child’s future; his education and his well-being after the parents are not around. That’s how the ‘Education is Insurance’ idea germinated because good education held the child’s future in the best stead. When we realised we had fairly tackled the first imperative, it was now time to deal with the second one.

Where did the idea of a father-child bond stem from ?

Our research showed that Indian families considered a father as the one who really protects;  not that the mother does any less, but a father has a different perception. While the mother is a nurturer, father is more of a provider, a protector. So the task ahead of us was to translate this into a communication strategy.  We wanted it to be a positive approach in the industry that largely feeds on people’s fear. We wanted to ensure that  we looked at the various aspects of a father-child relationship, create empathy and ensure further engagement with our target consumer. This will give us a far more extendable space as a brand.

Do you think the use of emotions in insurance ads has become redundant? How is your communication strategy distinguished ?

Emotions are intrinsic to us as a culture. It is relevant as long as it touches the right cord.  And the emotions we have tried to touch upon are distinct in their own regard. There are hardly any brands in this space that have looked at a father-child relationship. That’s what makes it refreshing.  After all, relationship between friends is a universal phenomenon, but we all know how some brands have used it to build a stronger perception among consumers. If the idea is not routine or mundane, it can stand out.

How do you think having Sachin Tendulkar in the TVC would help strengthen the connect with consumers?

We chose Sachin as our brand ambassador because  the target audience we want to appeal to, has grown up with Sachin. They have seen him has a married man, and as a father. We have used him as a father and not a cricketer. And that will help build a connect with the audience.

Could you give us a quick heads up on the effectiveness of the ‘Education is Insurance’ campaign and  your growth targets for the next fiscal year?

Earlier our ‘Child Plan’ used to contribute about 2-3% to the product mix. That number has scaled up to 15% in three years. Our  expectation with this new protection plan is the same. As a company, we are targeting an overall growth in the range of 15-20%. We are still a shareholder driven business, so we have to make sure the shareholders get value for their money. We did declare profitability last year, and we wish to sustain that this year as well.

Credits:

Client: Aviva Life Insurance
Agency: BBDO India
Executive creative director: Sandipan Bhattacharyya
Copywriters: Josy Paul, Sandipan Bhattacharyya, Arjuna Gaur
Art director: Bharat Khare
Account management: Rajesh Sikroria, Anupam Chauhan, Kanika Lal
Aviva brand team: Gaurav Rajput, Kshitij Jain, Sai Narayan
Film director: Anupam Mishra
Producer : Harsh Dave
Production house : IBIS Productions
Director of photography: Sanjay Kapoor
Props : Pawan Shukla
Line producer : Shalina Sulaiman
Editor offline: Abhilesh Shivalkar
Editor online: Chetan Ail
Music director: Rajat Dholakia
Music arranger : Jolly Jose
Sound engineer : Dharmesh Vora
Singer : Vijay Prakash
Voice-over: Ninad Kamat