Sharekhan's new TV ad encourages millennials to take charge of investments

In its latest campaign, brokerage firm asks young adults to make informed choices

In a battle to gain the mindshare of young adults—a fast growing cohort of investors—more and more financial services brands are communicating with a mix of education and entertainment. Following the trend, retail brokerage firm Sharekhan has rolled out a new campaign urging young investors to take charge of their investments by asking the right questions and not believing in hearsay. One of the TV commercials (TVCs) features a young man who is constantly prodded by his family to study hard for a rewarding job. Once he lands a good job, the young man is nagged by his parents to get married. After marriage, his wife is always advising him to spend wisely while his father suggests he should save for post-retirement. The protagonist appears to be lost in the cacophony of unsolicited advice from all quarters. As he panics in a bid to make sense of it all, the film ends with the message—“Apna finance apne kabu mein kar. Sharekhan kar!”

The second TVC shows a housewife going hysterical as she discovers from informal sources that gold prices are going up. The film conveys, “Suni sunayi baat par mat jao, socho samjho aur phir decide karo.”

Jean-Christophe Gougeon, director and head, brand and investment solutions, Sharekhan, says the retail brokerage company wants to be perceived as the one-stop shop for savings and investments. “The latest campaign intends to keep our customer at the centre of their financial journey through education and informed decision-making. Our new brand positioning allows customers—especially the youth—to take control of their finances. It helps us to closely associate with customers’ behaviours and characteristics.” The objective is to enable investors with the message, “Apna finance apne kabu mein kar. Sharekhan kar,” so that investors can understand, evaluate and transact in one place.

The communication is targeted at tech-savvy investors between 25 and 45 years who are looking for greater control over their investment decisions.

The campaign has been created by Salmon&Co.

According to Dhanashree Sant, co-founder, Salmon&Co, today’s youth want to invest in their dreams and aspirations but there is a huge gap between their dreams and how to realise them. It arises due to lack of understanding of finance.

“The aim of this campaign is to make the youth realise that finance is too important to leave to others. With Sharekhan, it’s easy to take charge because it helps you understand the why and how of finance and allows you to take your own decision,” he says. Humour in the campaign is based on real-life insights so that it can deliver a message without sounding preachy, Sant adds.

By 2020, Sharekhan plans to achieve a client base of 2.6 million. It is acquiring over 20,000 clients every month. The company is active in the mutual funds space and it features among the top 10 SIP (systematic investment plans) players in the country. It aims to be among the top 15 mutual fund distributors in India, with managed assets of Rs  20,000 crore.

Sharekhan has revamped its website and introduced a host of features to differentiate its service offerings. For example, based on financial goal, time horizon, risk profile, Sharekhan’s Robo Advisor–NEO suggests the best investment option to the customer. Its investment cart, similar to shopping carts at e-commerce portals, allows investors to select and save shares/MFs.