Indiantelevision.com Team

(26 August 2008 5:00 pm)

MUMBAI: With the insurance sector hotting up in order to keep pace with changing consumer demands and expectations, Max New York Life Insurance has unveiled a new brand positioning. The new tagline is 'Karo Zyaada Ka Iraada'. The company will spend Rs one billion this year on marketing and promotional activities.

Max New York Life executive director marketing Anisha Motwani notes that earlier the tagline was ‘Your partner for life’. Now the new tagline emphasies the fact that the company is the consumer's partner for life to get them more. “Earlier, people had to be satisfied with what they had. This has changed. Today, people want more like foreign holidays. There is now belief that one's fortunes can change in a lifetime. The belief is that we can make big things happen if we do things like educating ourselves. As a brand, we want people to know that with us they can think big.”

The message from the company is that consumers can expect Max from it. The company now offers more products and services. She notes that a survey the company did with AC Nielsen shows that people expect more from insurance like securing assets and returns. “Our positioning looks to reflect the fact that consumers are increasingly becoming ambitious and are willing to take risks. As a company we too are ambitious in what we do and we are looking to convey this message. We believe in staying at the consumer's side at every stage in his/her life and this translates into our new brand positioning. Our tagline is in Hindi as we want to speak the consumer’s language. The tagline also marks the fact that we are now more comfortable in our own skin. We will also have separate taglines for the South.”

The marketing campaign kicks off on 5 September 2008

On the television front Motwani notes that the company will have a roadblock on news channels. It is also sponsoring Zee’s show Sare Gama Pa, which is integrated. This is the one where the contestant who is out can come back in if the audie4nce wants him/her to. The message is that this is the contestant’s Iraada. He/she wants to do more on the show. The company is also a sponsor on Colors’ reality show Bigg Boss 2. It is also a sponsor of 9X’s Mahabharratta.

The company will also sponsor a blockbuster film festival on Zee Cinema. The idea is that this kind of an initiative gives the consumer more, which is what the company also does. O&M chairman and national creative director Piyush Pandey says that today brands must go with the tide. “Today youngsters are more confident. They want more from life. Max New York Life Insurance is encouraging them to change the world and do big things. This is what comes through in the campaign. Karo Ztaada Ka Iraada is the new work way. the TV highlights the consumers desire to have more. The ad is a call for action to wish for more, to take actions that deliver more and to constantly beat the status quo. I also think that insurance is an exciting category to work with. The messaging has progressed from simply trying to get people to take it out of fear or guilt.”

Motwani adds that the campaign will also have print, outdoor, online elements to it. Online one of the innovations the company has done is to come up with a game. There are 20 questions and one chooses the answer. For instance what gives you more Iraada? A self-portrait by M.F. Hussain or a wax statue at Madame Taussads? The aim is to tell consumers how big they can dream if they take Max New York Life Insurance. It will also advertise on different sites like cricket, stock market sites and have relevant messages. It will celebrate who has hit the most sixes, taken the most wickets, which stock has risen the most. The aim is to own the zyaada mind space. It will also advertise on holiday sites. The message would be as a holiday destination what gives you more iraada? Egypt or Rome?

There will also be a lot of radio spots. In fact a jingle has been conceptualised for this medium. There will also be a contest. On the outdoor front among other things the company has branded three Rajdhani trains. It is also looking at doing things with the Delhi Metro. It will also have visibility at traffic police stands across different cities. In Mumbai it will have digital clocks at the railway stations. The message is that time is passing you buy and so it is important to do more with the time one has. Cinema halls will also be used across different cities. She ads that the company is targetting the whole of India and not just the Metros with the campaign.

The company will also be present in cinema halls. In addition direct mailers will also play an important role. The company will also tie up with car companies for joint offers. Motwani notes that last year the insurance category spent Rs. 3.7 billion. This year it is expected that the category will spend Rs. 5 billion. Out of its Rs. one billion spend 60 per cent will be on above the line activities. She says that the company is not using any celebrity as the brand positioning and the thought behind it is strong enough. “While there are companies that use brand ambassadors if the thought is not strong enough then it will not break through the clutter. We are also doing contests for our agents and employees. This will induce them to act as our brand ambassadors.”