MAM
Hotstuff creates unique insurance awareness campaign for Star Union Dai-ichi Life
Mumbai: What do you get when you put together the creative genius of PrahladKakkar and the comic brilliance of Javed Jaffrey? You get pure on-screen magic as witnessed in the latest campaign by Star Union Dai-ichi Life Insurance that spells out insurance awareness with one key message, ‘roti, kapdaaurmakaankesaath#BimaHaiZaroori’. The campaign features Javed Jaffrey as the dashing and action-packed hero of the 70s, representing a common man working hard for his basic needs of roti, kapdaaurmakaan.However, when the villain of life’s uncertainties comes knocking, he is more than confident to face the situation as he has empowered himself with the fourth basic need for survival and that is BIMA – Life Insurance.
The idea stems from the insight of Mr. Girish Kulkarni,MD & CEO of SUD Life who believes that in today’s world, financial planning is essential if one aspires to live comfortably in a future rid with expenses. However, only wealth creation isn’t important. We need financial security as well, to protect our savings and dreams we shape for our loved ones. That is where insurance comes in. It offers you a combination of protection and long term wealth creation, two pillars that are necessary, now more than ever.
"Roti, Kapda, MakaanaurBima is an honest attempt to take Life Insurance or Insurance as a matter as a category to semi urban, or rural India where insurance is very poorly understood. This will prove to be a great category booster in terms of awareness of life insurance,"says Girish Kulkarni, MD & CEO, Star Union Dai-ichi Life Insurance.
Translating this thought into communication was a challenge and that is where the team at hotstuff came in. As domain experts in BFSI, working with India’s leading brands, they decided to treat the campaign as an off-beat presentation of insurance as compared to the routine life insurance commercials out there.
Speaking on the same, CEO, hotstuff, ArunFernandes said "We have been working with India's leading BFSI brands for over two decades and personally I believe infotainment is a much needed solution when it comes to financial awareness. The manner in which such information is presented and the way in which media is used to present such stories to investors is crucial. Like all our campaigns, we focus on strategy that aids brand recall and brings in numbers and off late, interesting content backed by all round media integration has helped us stand out and create a niche as an off-beat communications agency."
Given the opportunity, hotstuff decided to not just aid the cause but also usher a breath of fresh air in the BFSI world that is often more informative rather than entertaining."Through the campaign, we wanted to tell a story that would create a mass effect. As a fan of the movies from the 70s, this was a great chance to pay tribute to that era and we used Cinema as the hook to create this larger than life proposition. Right from the art to the music to the look and feel, we went the distance to recreate that classic feel. We didn't program the music but got musicians from the 70s to play the themes live, the styling and storytelling were structured keeping the era in mind. The entire idea was to make people watch an entire movie in 60 seconds and take home one message – BimaHaiZaroori," added Terence D'Souza, Creative Director – hotstuff
hotstuff worked with Ad Guru, PrahladKakkar, who helped scale up the vision and add his touch of trademark humor and entertainment to the entire campaign by ushering a bit of nostalgia into every frame. The typical Maa, the glamorous girlfriend, the rags to riches story and the trademark laugh of the villain are all wielded into a path-breaking script that is meant to create a paradigm shift in which financial instruments are communicated in India.
"You need to be a lover of that particular period and that genre to use Insurance on a platform like this. I don't think anyone has done it. Here we are with a company that believes in the concept. They took the leap and I think it will change the goalpost for the insurance sector,"addsPrahladKakkar.
However, the film would be incomplete without music that reflected the themes of the 70s. The agency worked with musicians who had worked on the movies from the 70s to ensure that they recreate the feel of those movies. They have created radio jingles that sound like Kishore Kumar songs. The designs on social media and print media featuresJaved Jaffrey in those iconic poses and are made to look like movie posters. The entire campaign is being driven as a complete movie in itself to generate intrigue and get people to watch it and understand that ‘sirf roti, kapda, makaannahi…bimahaizaroori’.
Over the months, Star Union Dai-ichi Life Insurance would want to take the campaign a step ahead and continue this theme of 70s cinema to talk to people in a language they understand – to educate them on the importance of BIMA in their lives.
Brands
Big Bowl appoints Lyxel & Flamingo as social and media partner
QSR brand eyes next growth phase after crossing Rs 100 crore ARR milestone
MUMBAI: Big Bowl, one of India’s largest bowl-format quick service restaurant brands from Lenexis Foodworks, has appointed Lyxel & Flamingo (L&F) as its social and media partner as it prepares for its next phase of growth.
The partnership comes after the brand crossed the Rs 100 crore annual recurring revenue milestone in 2025 and aims to help accelerate its journey towards Rs 150 crore ARR in its fifth year since launch.
Big Bowl currently operates more than 250 kitchens across 50 cities and has emerged as a major player in India’s organised bowl-format food segment. Built around hearty portions and delivery-first convenience, the brand offers a wide mix of Indian, Chinese and fusion bowls designed for quick, affordable and portable consumption.
As urban consumers increasingly gravitate towards easy-to-carry and value-driven meal formats, the company sees the bowl category as a scalable format aligned with modern eating habits.
With the appointment of Lyxel & Flamingo, Big Bowl plans to consolidate its social media and digital media operations under a single partner. The move is intended to sharpen its digital reach, strengthen youth-focused storytelling and improve performance marketing outcomes.
Lyxel & Flamingo, one of India’s largest independent digital-first agencies, manages more than 350 brands and oversees advertising spends exceeding $100 million across its network.
Under the mandate, the agency will handle Big Bowl’s social media strategy, content development, digital performance marketing, media planning and buying, as well as campaign amplification across platforms.
Commenting on the partnership, Lenexis Foodworks founder and director Aayush Madhusudan Agrawal said, “Big Bowl has scaled rapidly to cross Rs 100 crore ARR and established itself as one of the largest bowl-format brands in the country. As a delivery-first, digitally native brand, our next phase of growth will be driven by sharper performance systems and stronger brand storytelling. Consolidating social and media with Lyxel & Flamingo allows us to integrate data, creativity and media precision as we scale towards our next revenue milestone.”
Lenexis Foodworks marketing head Vikas Iyer, added that the delivery-led category requires content, media and performance marketing to work closely together.
“With Lyxel & Flamingo, we aim to build a sharper social voice, stronger acquisition systems and measurable impact, ensuring the brand scales not just in presence but also in precision,” he said.
Lyxel & Flamingo chief executive officer Dev Batra, said the agency will combine data-driven marketing with creative storytelling to support Big Bowl’s growth. “Big Bowl brings the flavour, and L&F brings the fire. Our strategy combines data-led performance with engaging storytelling to help build a strong digital brand presence while delivering measurable business results,” he said.
With this partnership, Big Bowl is looking to strengthen its position as a digitally driven QSR brand, blending brand-building with performance marketing as it scales within India’s rapidly growing organised food delivery market.
