Q] Please shed some light on your ‘Kuch Income Life Ke Liye, Kuch Life Insurance Ke Liye’ campaign?
Girish: At Tata AIA, we have taken a differentiated approach to consumer communication over the past two years. Traditionally, life insurance advertising has been quite morbid—focusing on worst-case scenarios. But consumers today, especially post-COVID, prioritise experiences, spending on things they love. Instead of telling them to stop, we wanted to align with their mindset. That’s how ‘Kuch Income Life Ke Liye, Kuch Life Insurance Ke Liye’ was born. The idea is simple: enjoy your earnings, splurge on what you love, but also secure your future. The campaign reflects real consumer behaviour rather than going against it, making the message more relatable. Rather than relying on heavy TV ad spends, we’re leveraging innovative, organic reach to make an impact.
Yash: Girish’s brief was simple: ‘I’m tired of fearmongering in life insurance.’ For years, the industry scared people into buying policies—so we set out to change that. Over two years, we tested fresh ideas. We showed Neeraj Chopra’s fun side, launched an award-winning wedding campaign, and realised another fear tactic: ‘Stop spending, save everything.’ But Gen Z and millennials want balance—not sacrifice. That led to ‘Kuch Income Life Ke Liye, Kuch Life Insurance Ke Liye’—a message of smart saving and enjoying life. We placed billboards near Tata brands and spending hotspots. Our travel ad, especially, went viral. And that’s how it all came together.
Q] In one of your older campaigns, you partnered with comedians—Atul Khatri, Kenny Sebastain and Rahul Dua. Was there a particular reason for this pick?
Girish: We chose comedians because we wanted to do something different—break away from conventional advertising. Consumers don’t want to watch ads; they skip them after six seconds. So, the challenge was to make our content engaging enough that people would actually want to watch it. Stand-up comedians helped us achieve this in two ways. First, humour makes insurance feel less like a boring sales pitch and more like entertaining content. Second, they simplified complex product benefits. Take Atul Khatri, for example—he explained ‘Return of Premium’ in a relatable, fun way. Instead of a long explanation, he used a simple analogy about shopping discounts to make the message stick. As for our choice of comedians, it was intentional. Atul Khatri resonated with a middle-aged Hindi-speaking audience. Kenny Sebastian connected with younger, English-speaking viewers. Rahul Dua, who was then about to be a father, naturally fit a narrative around life insurance for growing families. Their real-life personas aligned with our messaging, making the campaign more relatable and effective.
Yash: The most interesting part of this campaign was that attention is the currency of advertisers—we are all fighting for it online. So, first, we chose comedians. Second, we made content, not ads. We deliberately used lower-quality cameras and a stand-up-style setup instead of a polished ad look. We even let small ‘errors’ slide—audience reactions, people getting up—so it felt organic. The goal was simple: make people stop scrolling and stay for at least five extra seconds. It worked, leading to better engagement and views. The key was resisting the urge to make a traditional ad. The brand name was barely mentioned; the focus was on the jokes, not the benefits—yet people remembered the benefits anyway. That’s how we knew it was a successful collaboration.
Q] Could you give us an idea of your marketing mix?
Girish: We have been primarily Digital for the last two and a half years, simply because Indians have become more digitally savvy. COVID put smartphones in almost everyone’s hands—from kids attending online classes to seniors adapting to tech. Today, 80 crore Indians use social media daily, giving digital a reach comparable to TV. For our recent outdoor campaign, we kept it cost-efficient—just 20 billboards across key cities, strategically placed near relevant brands like coffee shops and car showrooms. The real impact, though, came from social media. The campaign went viral thanks to smart messaging by Admatazz, with people sharing photos and engaging online. So, while our strategy remains primarily digital, we are blending in select traditional media and amplifying it ad.
Q] Admatazz and Tata AIA have been collaborating on campaigns for quite some time now. How has their partnership evolved?
Girish: To sum up in one line: It started with a focused brief for help in improving my social media messaging and engagement, and today, Admatazz has become our mainline agency. That’s how things have evolved for us.
Yash: Trust and creative freedom are key in any agency-brand partnership. We have a safe space to pitch bold ideas to Girish and the team, refining them into cost- and reach-efficient campaigns. As a digital-first agency, we have grown in integrated marketing, especially with Tata AIA. Girish is incredibly savvy with Digital and young messaging, and we ensure our campaigns are insight-driven, not just viral. It’s been a fantastic four and a half years working on these campaigns together.
