Q] Tata Mutual Fund has recently used a combination of poetry, comedy and storytelling in its campaigns. What was the idea behind using these formats, and do you see them connecting well with customers?
The real insight behind how we operate at Tata Mutual Fund is understanding what today’s consumer is doing. From a consumer perspective, either he is searching, scrolling, shopping or streaming, which is what we call our 4S approach. Today, Reels dominate consumption, featuring formats such as stand-up comedy, spoken word and other engaging content. This comes from a simple observation—people rarely remember financial jargon, but they remember stories, emotions, experiences and moods. Through ‘Mehfil-e-Fund’, we explore formats such as poetry and comedy. We also created the Friendship Day campaign ‘Dost Hi Sikhaate Hain’ and ‘Papa Kasam’, built around the insight that while fathers teach us many things, one of their most important lessons is investing.
These campaigns use real-life conversations and insights to make concepts such as trust, discipline and consistency emotionally relevant. We also bring SIP into these relatable moments rather than presenting it as a purely financial concept.
Q] The Tata name carries legacy and familiarity, but today’s consumers discover financial brands through apps, creators and social platforms. How do you convert that legacy into relevance for a younger audience without relying only on the Tata name?
We believe trust and relevance are not competing ideas. They are most powerful when they work together. Today’s investors discover and discuss financial products through creators, community apps and social platforms, and expect brands to earn relevance. Our approach is to educate, engage and empower. We want to be relevant across the entire value chain, from when a person is considering a product and researching it to finally buying it.
We explain investing in simple language, use engaging content to drive brand discovery, and ensure a smooth onboarding process. By doing this, alongside trust, we earn relevance amongst today’s consumers.
Q] What responsibility does an asset manager have to correct behavioural biases once an investor is already inside the funnel?
When a consumer buys a particular mutual fund, he may do so because it has been suggested by a friend or family member. He may have gone to a distributor who explained the fund to him, or to a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA), understood his risk profile and then bought the fund based on that. There are different types of customers who buy.
Our aim is to ensure that once a person buys a product, we explain to them what the fund is all about. We do this through an initiative called Quarterly Compass, where every three months, a particular fund video goes out to our customers. It talks about what the fund comprises, whether there are any changes in the fund, its risk appetite and who should be looking to invest in it. Even if a consumer has bought a particular fund, we try to educate them about the specific risks, details of the fund and what does it invest in. All these things are passed on to them in a transparent manner.
