MAM
Kotak Mahindra, iProspect India adopt high-impact digital-only approach for new campaign
MUMBAI: Kotak Mahindra, the digital bank that is open to all and is designed to financially empower dreamers, has finally launched the sequel, #DreamsInvited, to its 811 #IndiaInvited campaign.
To create mass awareness around #DreamsInvited across all digital platforms, the bank has collaborated with iProspect India, the digital agency driving business performance from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network.
This latest campaign, starring Ranveer Singh and India’s legendary track and field athlete PT Usha, adopts a high-impact digital-only approach. Handled from iProspect’s Mumbai office, the campaign is focused to build reach with high frequency in six different languages.
To execute this, the agency has taken an OTT-first approach wherein videos in multiple languages – Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bangla – are created and targeted based on geographic specifications.
Videos, ranging from 60 seconders to 10 seconders, are being played on all leading OTT platforms including Hotstar, SonyLIV, Zee5, Voot and SunNxt. YouTube and Facebook are the other additional platforms where the brand has decided to focus on to reach out to its audience.
Commenting on opting for a digital-first strategy, Kotak Mahindra Group CMO Karthi Marshan said, “Digital video publishers and platforms have been claiming near TV levels of reach for a while now. It was only a matter of time before mainstream media users started looking at digital as a serious alternative to TV. We are not quite there yet, but we are keen to test whether the granularity of data for digital viewership helps us deliver buying efficiencies, geo focus, segmented communications et al. In recent times, the CMOs of P&G, Unilever, Adidas and the like have alerted us to the many issues that plague digital media, and it does give us pause. However, we don’t want to risk throwing the baby out with the bathwater. We are only keen to keep trying different things and learn new lessons, hopefully at low cost to the firm and brand.”
Commenting on the association, iProspect India CEO Rubeena Singh said, “Kotak is one of the leading banks in the country and we are proud to work with them on their latest campaign. The brand has been extremely active in the digital space, and we are pleased to partner with them on this innovative approach. iProspect is using its propriety data and technology solutions (created by iProspect Solution Labs) to understand users at a granular level. The insights from there are being used to create a plan to create maximum impact for the latest campaign.”
Brands
YES Bank hands the keys to SBI veteran Vinay Tonse as it bets on a new era
Former SBI managing director appointed as YES Bank’s new MD and CEO
MUMBAI: YES Bank is done rebuilding. Now it wants to grow. The private sector lender has appointed Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as managing director and chief executive officer-designate, with RBI approval secured and a start date of April 6, 2026 confirmed. The three-year term signals the bank’s intent to shift gears from crisis recovery to full-throttle expansion.
Tonse, 60, is no stranger to scale. Most recently managing director at State Bank of India, he oversaw a retail book of roughly $800bn in deposits and advances, one of the largest in the country. Before that, he ran SBI Mutual Fund from August 2020 to December 2022, a stint that saw assets under management surge from Rs 4.32 lakh crore to Rs 7.32 lakh crore across market cycles. Add stints in Singapore and four years leading SBI’s overseas operations in Osaka, and the incoming chief arrives with a genuinely global CV.
His academic grounding is equally solid: a commerce degree from St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bengaluru, and a master’s in commerce from Bangalore University.
The appointment follows an extensive search and evaluation process by the bank’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. NRC chairperson Nandita Gurjar said the committee unanimously backed Tonse, citing his leadership track record, governance credentials and ability to drive the bank’s next phase of transformation.
Non-executive chairman Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was unequivocal. “I am certain that Vinay Tonse, with his vast experience as a senior banker, will propel YES Bank to its next phase of growth,” Gandhi said, adding that the bank remains focused on strengthening its retail and corporate banking franchises and expanding its branch network.
Rajeev Kannan, non-executive director and senior executive at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the bank’s largest shareholder, said Tonse’s experience across retail, corporate banking, global markets and asset management positioned him well to lead the lender. SMBC said it looks forward to working with Tonse and the board as YES Bank pursues its ambition of becoming a top-tier private sector lender anchored in strong governance and sustainable growth.
Tonse succeeds Prashant Kumar, who took the helm in March 2020 when YES Bank was in freefall following a severe financial crisis, and spent six years painstakingly stabilising the institution, rebuilding governance and restoring operational scale. Gandhi was generous: “The bank remains indebted to Prashant Kumar, who is responsible for much of what a strong financial powerhouse YES Bank is today.”
Tonse, for his part, struck a purposeful note. “Together with the board and my colleagues, I remain deeply committed to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he said, pledging to build on Kumar’s foundation guided by his personal motto: Make A Difference.
Beyond the balance sheet, Tonse played cricket at college and club level and represented Karnataka in archery at the national championships — sports he credits with teaching him teamwork, situational leadership, discipline and focus. In quieter moments, he reaches for retro Kannada music, classic Hindi songs, and the crooning of Engelbert Humperdinck, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.
YES Bank has its steady-handed rebuilder in Kumar to thank for survival. Now it has a scale-obsessed growth banker at the wheel. The next chapter starts April 6.
