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Insurance
companies are heavily into advertising these days. A new name that
comes to mind is that of Chola General Insurance and its new TVC
that is been aired on various television channels.
 The
middle
class Indian family man has always tried to have a lasting relationship
with his money. If there's money in his hand, he's quite unwilling
to part with it. And while manufacturers and service providers fight
an eternal battle trying to get him to part with it, insurance companies
fight an easier battle. Life Insurance Companies, that is. They're
telling him he's not really parting with his sweat-stained money
but merely setting it aside for a while, letting it grow, and he
can be sure he's going to get back more than what he put into it
soon enough. If that wasn't good enough, they're also tell struggling
Mr Indian Middleclass Man that he can reap tax benefits as well
and use that extra money to inch his way closer to the so far elusive
Upper Class.
So
today, as our Mr Indian Middleclass Man signs the dotted line on
his policy he knows he isn't just insuring his life… he's also
investing (a hitherto unused word in his dictionary).
Into this happy picture walks a General Insurance Company, telling
him to take his insurance planning a step further and take out a
policy or two (home insurance, health insurance, personal accident
insurance, etc). But Mr Indian  Middleclass
Man refuses to budge. Our modern day Atlas has other weights on
his struggling shoulders - financial, emotional and social responsibilities
and commitments that step aside for General Insurance. He'd rather
put his money into 'real' problems - a child's education, escalating
expenses, saving for the future and a whole host of other responsibilities.
Responsibilities that feature way above general insurance in his
priority list, refusing to let him part with money that would insure
a not-so-probable eventuality. And that's precisely the way he views
general insurance - money set aside if a crisis hits. IF. 'If' because
he may never need to make a claim ever - his appliances may never
be affected by lightning, he might never have a personal accident,
his son might never have his bicycle stolen, his wife's jewellery
may never get stolen… today's needs are far more pressing to
him than tomorrow's 'if's!
 In
addition to inconsequential 'if's, he also has a limited knowledge
of how insurance companies work and carries the typical middleclass
mistrust of private companies ("they are here to make money").
He also carries a general mistrust that claims may or may not be
met, there might be a lot of litigation involved, elaborate paperwork
and complex procedures…he thinks an insurance company is a
maze he'll never get out of.
 In
short, his finely honed middleclass sensibility tells him general
insurance is invisible money (no returns whatsoever) compared to
life insurance, which is visible money (thanks to endowment and
of course, the absolute fact of his mortality).
"So while research us face to face with all this financial
angst and understandable apprehension towards general insurance,
we still had to make general insurance as compelling a spend as
life insurance. Taking a closer look at his complicated life, we
realised that he's actually faced with quite a few common disruptions
(and their financial implications) quite regularly. A suitcase that
gets stolen from the train when he steps out to fill a bottle of
water at the station, his wife slips in the bathroom and fractures
her foot, a cell phone that gets wet in the rain, a holiday that
gets cancelled because he had a fracture on the way to work…
the list seemed to go on and on. All that was needed  to
tell him is that General Insurance is not about 'unlikely eventuality'
but about 'common disruptions'… make the 'IF' disappear! Putting
these common situations alongside Chola's General Insurance policies
were a simple, effective and hassle-free way to better manage these
common, beyond-his-control disruptions! Out of this key insight
was born unique communication that revolved around one simple hard-hitting
thought - Jo bhi hoga, Chola manage karega!" said a company
spokesperson.
 "We've
seen insurance films with people who haven't taken insurance - "if
I had insurance I wouldn't be in trouble right now" - or people
who have taken insurance - "ah, insurance has saved me from
a crisis." But here's a different angle on it - Insurance from
another point of view. Through a person who represents the 'continuous
inquirer', a character so common in everyday India. The guy who
knows how bad the situation is and yet wants to hear it from the
victim again. He's not intrinsically evil… he just revels secretly
on hearing someone's misfortune and ensures he gets victims to re-live
their pain through his camouflaged concern. He lives for the moments
when people wince as they recollect an accident, a yelling from
the boss or a broken TV set. He's actually 'Life' personified for
the Mr Middleclass Man, actually reminding him of problems again
and again. This 'continuous inquirer' comes to life as Chabilal.
Chabi-ing bygone situations back to life. But this time around he's
got a surprise waiting for him - Chola," the company spokesperson
said.
So as Chabilal plays out his 'Lut gaye boss' to his friend Anand,
who had to undergo an appendix operation while traveling on work
to Raipur, he's faced with absolute nonchalance instead of trauma.
Completely taken aback, Chabilal is smacked in the face with unique
Chola Health Insurance features that helped Anand 'manage' everything.
In the end, the cynical Chabilal is suddenly seen interested in
Chola.
 "What
makes the communication unique is it stays clear of the usual disaster
dreariness of general insurance advertising, infusing a great sense
of humour into a simple, positive storyline and communicating the
relevance of having Chola General Insurance. It also brings 'nowness'
to general insurance, effectively captured in the situations in
use, translating it to 'visible money', just like life insurance,"
he added.
The future has Chabilal written large over it, with Chabilal continuing
his chabi-ing ways but stumped every time by Chola General Insurance.
So don't be a too surprised if you bump into chattering Chabilal
the next time you turn a corner. And when you do, just mention 'Chola'
to him… that should keep him quite for a while.
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