Franklin Templeton reinforces WhatELSS pitch with satiric Pappu-Munni plots

Franklin Templeton has launched two more films on its WhatELSS platform that was rolled out late last year. The digital films have been conceptualised by What's Your Problem.

 

One of them (above) features a lady knitting socks for her baby. The voice over explains how the daughter has continued to love the soft and comfortable pink socks even after she has grown into a young woman, because she didn't bother to look for anything else. The young woman's mother helps her wear the socks again. A voice over attributes this to the girl not asking her mother 'what else', akin to tax savers stuck with the same old methods. It says 'Madamji, aap Munni mat baniye, ask What ELSS' (Don't be a Munni, madam, and ask What Elss), before introducing Franklin Templeton's ELSS (Equity Linked Saving Schemes). 

Another film features a young man stuck with a childhood habit. A young lady prepares milk from powder and fills a baby bottle. It is revealed that the bottle isn't being prepared for a baby, but for a grown up man. As others on a table are enjoying a meal, the man drinks the milk from a bottle, also wearing an infant's bib. The voice over attributes this to Pappu not asking 'What else'. The link to tax saving options is established, urging viewers not to follow Pappu.

 

Juzer Tambawalla, head – marketing, Franklin Templeton India, said, “Last year, instead of creating just communication we set out to create a new category nomenclature. We phonetically positioned E.L.S.S. as ‘else’ and urged consumers to #AskWhatELSS before investing to save tax. The great thing about ELSS is that we didn’t try to create advertising but a sound mnemonic for a category name. And the results were fantastic. While video views, website visits and leads surpassed all our internal targets, number of ELSS consumers also went up significantly for the brand. This year, we wanted to expand our TG – target not just the current Mutual Fund consumer, but also the much larger base of salaried professionals who need to invest under Section 80C to save tax.” 

 

Balaji Vaidyanathan, AVP and deputy head – marketing, Franklin Templeton India, added, “Be it life or while investing to save tax, consumers who don’t ask 'What ELSS' often get stuck to their first option, one that may have worked at some point of time in life for them, but in all probability, is now sub-optimum. Asking #WhatELSS allows you to get more out of life and move ahead. And specifically, when it comes to investing to save tax, asking #WhatELSS may help reap multiple benefits for the consumer!” 

 

Amit Akali, managing partner and creative head, What's Your Problem, said, “Post the success of the #AskWhatELSS campaign last year, we wanted the same message to reach out to even more people and thus took a creative leap. We asked, what kind of people really wouldn’t #AskWhatELSS and therefore get stuck to their first option. The answer was brought alive in an exaggerated story of a Pappu and Munni, both of whom got stuck to their first option and continued drinking powdered milk or wearing the same booties since childhood and even when they grew up. Absurd as the situation is, we wanted to point out that consumers also behave as ridiculously when it comes to investing in tax saving instruments – they are stuck to their old options. In keeping with the audience we wanted to break category codes and reach out to more people.” 

 

The campaign straddles print, digital display and social channels.

 

Credits

 

Client: Franklin Templeton Investments

Team: Juzer Tambawalla, Balaji Vaidyanathan, Paurush Sonkar, Vishal Shah, Renu Chauhan

 

Creative agency:  What’s Your Problem 

Creative team: Amit Akali, Divya Saxena, Mihir Chitre, Aditi Naikar, Sameer Murudkar, Satendra Jaisal, Pramod Khamitkar, Anil Durgule

Servicing: Richa Shah

 

Production house: Equinox Films

Director (film): Priyanka Ghose

DoP: Mitesh Mirchandani

 

Also read: 

 

Franklin Templeton urges tax savers to ask 'What ELSS'