Birla Sun Life MF takes a swipe at protests, urges Indians to 'wake up' idling money

Aditya Birla Financial Services has rolled out a film to promote a new app for Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund. The film has been conceptualised by Taproot Dentsu.

 

It features several angry people, mostly office-goers, speaking into the camera as they move purposefully. A downed shop shutter has the Tamil word 'Puratchi' (Revolution) painted across. In sync, the people featured seem ready to launch one. One man says, 'Enough is enough'. Another says 'Account mein paise ka padhe rehna nahi chalega' (Money simply lying in an account won't do). As more people join, another man says 'Paise ka alas nahi chalega' (Laziness on money won't do). A lady reiterates: 'It's time for a revolution'. Several others join in with their slogans as visuals of people headed somewhere together with banners are seen. One man emphatically says that the mood should change right now. Suddenly, the frenetic action gives way to calm. He's seated on the balcony at home, comfortably, phone in hand. He asks for a minute as an app downloads. Other protagonists who appeared earlier now inform audiences that they're not taking out a protest, as nothing happens through them. The message is that if something has to happen, it'll happen with a swipe. A voice over introduces features of the Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund 'Active Account' app.

 

Ajay Kakar, CMO – financial services, Aditya Birla Group, said, "Historically Indians have the mindset of keeping majority of their hard-earned money in low-yielding vehicles. Seldom do they realise that with taxes and inflation, their idle savings remain in a state of erosion. Our attempt is to awaken Indians to this realisation, and provoke them to make the right saving choices. With Active Account, consumers can now use the power of technology to activate money with a single swipe.” 

 

A Balasubramanian, CEO, Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company, said, “BSLMF Active Account has been developed using customer-first design thinking. Conveniences such as ease of use, ease of login, ease of transaction, ease of access are structurally embedded into its architecture. This new offering from us is poised to change the way India saves, and I am confident that it will add immense value to savers and investors across the Indian diaspora.” 

 

Pallavi Chakravarti, executive creative director, Taproot Dentsu, said, “The bank account is India's default parking lot, when it comes to money. But is this traditional saving habit optimal? While attempts have been made in the past to urge people to "make their money work harder", the launch of the Active Account App is a game-changer. In this commercial, we've used India's other favorite activity – protesting – in an interesting way, to drive home the message that the days of 'lazy money' are numbered. Because the Active Account is not yet another app, it's a revolutionary tool.”

 

The film was published on the brand's YouTube channel on 8 November 2016.