MAM
SBI Life’s new TVC banks on love
With a tagline of “With us, you’re sure,” SBI Life Insurance has rolled out a new television commercial (TVC) conceptualised by Ogilvy & Mather, Mumbai. While insurance is a long-term investment , SBI Life’s new TVC is an attempt to touch an emotional chord with its target group, which essentially comprises 30+ males.
In order to communicate their offerings to the TG and understand their views on retirement, a research was done across 30 respondents, between the age group of 25 – 45 years. The findings: for all respondents between 25-35 years pension did not figure as an investment option at all since they thought they were still too young for it. On analysing the TG further, it was found that their world essentially revolved around their family and that they often compromised on investing for their own future; they were too busy saving for the future of their family.
The new TVC shows an old woman sewing on a machine when her husband comes in to show her something that has appeared in the newspaper. Pointing to the object, he asks her whether it was the same thing that she had wanted. As is usually the case with an over cautious Indian woman who has a tight control over her purse, she refuses as it is too expensive and of no use at her age. The ‘object of their affection’ was a diamond jewelry ad in the newspaper.
Her husband asks her if she had been looking at the ad earlier. She says no. Then he surprises her with the diamond ring. She asks him what the occasion was and he says that it was Valentine’s Day when people who love somebody present them with a gift; this was his gift for her. Although touched, she says she is too old to wear it. Her husband jokingly remarks – “Heere ko kya pata tumhari umar kya hai?” (How would the diamond know your age?)
O&M’s mandate essentially was to come up with a distinct piece of communication that stands out in the clutter. The ad communicates to the viewers that they should start investing early so that there would be no problem later in life. This message was coupled with the emotion of love.
The underlying thought for the campaign thus became: “Never let money come in the way of expressing your love.” And SBI Life will be the best to manage your money so that you don’t have a care in the world in your old age. The Hindi tag line for the ad is “SBI Life Insurance ke Lifelong Pensions. Taaki pyaar ke beech paison ki kami naa aaye.”
The brains behind this ad were O&M group president and national creative director Piyush Pandey and senior creative director Sagar Mahabaleshwar. The team comprised copywriter Louella Rebello and art director Rakesh Pandit. The ad has been shot by Corcoise Films’ Prasoon Pandey.
Speaking on the brand communication, SBI Life communications manager Pradeep Pandey says, “We wanted to focus on our pension products keeping in mind the changing societal trends. We have a good pension plan and through this communication we want to convince him of his post retirement age. SBI Life provides financial freedom to its customers and that is exactly what we have tried to show through this ad. The creatives are inspired from a cultural insight.”
The TVC was launched on 1 November across India on niche channels like Aaj Tak, NDTV 24×7, NDTV India, Star News, CNBC, Discovery, History Channel, Zee TV and Sab TV. Star Plus, however was left out of the media mix because it predominantly had female viewers, who are not essentially the TG of SBI Life. In the southern parts of the country, the ads will air on channels like Sun and Gemini.
The 60 second TVC will play for the first two weeks, followed by edits in the following four weeks.
While the film has been conceived in Hindi, it will also be dubbed in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam for the south markets and in Bengali for Kolkata.
A 360-degree approach has been undertaken to garner more visibility. The media mix comprises outdoor and ads will be placed across the top 40 – 45 towns and cities, including metros and mini metros. Radio ads will also be rolled out coupled with a contest – ‘How will you express your love for your wife after retirement?’ Internet ads, direct mailers are also in the offing as part of the media mix.
Apart from that, Point of Purchase and Point of Sale advertising as a concept has been extended to various products. While all SBI Life branches would display posters, the idea has also been extended to kiosks, bus shelters near shopping malls and in-store branding inside jewelry stores. On-ground activities have also been planned in places like shopping malls, restaurants and multiplexes.
Talking about the timing of the ad release, SBI Life’s Pandey says, “Fifty per cent of our sales of insurance happen between January and March. On the other hand, November – December are built up months for the season and hence we timed our activity accordingly.”
While this is SBI Life’s first new ad campaign this year, the company had earlier associated with the Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Mailini starrer Baghban when it was aired on Sony Entertainment Television earlier this year. An on-air contest called ‘SBI Life Baghbaan Sunishchit Bhavishya Contest’ was also rolled out. SBI Life also advertised during the Asia Cup cricket matches.
The new TVC is likely to strike a chord with the TG it is aimed at as it has very aptly managed to depict the emotions and love between an old couple. This has added more value to the SBI Life’s brand proposition – ‘Never let money come in the way of expressing your love.’
MAM
India’s financial sector spent less on TV ads in 2025 but flooded the internet
Banks, insurers and lenders cut tv ads as digital jumps, LIC and Muthoot lead tv and Axis Bank tops online
MUMBAI: India’s banking, financial services and insurance sector, one of the most prolific advertisers in the country, delivered a split verdict on media in 2025. It spent less on television, held its nerve in print, turned up the volume on radio and deluged the internet with a ferocity that left every other medium looking pedestrian. The picture that emerges from TAM AdEx’s cross-media report for the BFSI sector is of an industry in transition, still wedded to the news bulletin but increasingly seduced by the algorithm.
Television: a retreat with caveats
TV ad volumes for the BFSI sector fell 16 per cent in 2025 compared with 2024, a sharp reversal after two years of consistent growth that had pushed volumes 16 per cent above 2021 levels by 2023 and a further 7 per cent higher by 2024. Within 2025 itself, the drop was concentrated in the middle of the year: the second and third quarters saw ad volumes slide 35 per cent each against the first quarter, with a partial recovery of 13 per cent in the fourth.
The retreat did not reshuffle the deck. Life insurance retained first place among TV categories with 19 per cent of ad volumes, mortgage loans held second with 16 per cent, and the top ten categories together accounted for 82 per cent of all BFSI television advertising. The dominance of news channels was equally pronounced: news claimed 68 per cent of ad volumes, general entertainment channels a distant 14 per cent and movies 12 per cent. Together, news and GEC captured 82 per cent of the sector’s television spend. News bulletins alone took 48 per cent of programme-genre volumes, with feature films second at 12 per cent. Prime time, between 6pm and 11pm, drew 34 per cent of ad volumes, followed by afternoon at 22 per cent and morning at 20 per cent. A full 82 per cent of all ads ran between 20 and 40 seconds.
Life Insurance Corporation of India was the sector’s biggest TV spender with 11 per cent of ad volumes. Muthoot Financial Enterprises came second with 9 per cent, followed by National Payments Corporation of India at 6 per cent, Tata AIG General Insurance at 5 per cent and State Bank of India at 5 per cent. The top ten advertisers together accounted for 51 per cent of total TV volumes. Three names were new to the top ten in 2025: Tata AIG General Insurance, IIFL Finance and Tata Capital. At brand level, Muthoot Finance Loan Against Gold led with 9 per cent share, Tata AIG Health Insurance entered the top ten for the first time, and the top ten brands together contributed 35 per cent of ad volumes.
Print: the long climb continues
Print told a different story. Ad space for the BFSI sector has grown every year since 2021, rising 16 per cent in 2022, 30 per cent in 2023, 51 per cent in 2024 and 64 per cent in 2025, all measured against a 2021 baseline. Within 2025, ad space was flat in the second quarter but surged 46 per cent in the third and 33 per cent in the fourth compared with the first. Life insurance led print categories with 21 per cent of ad space, followed by mutual funds and banking services and products at 13 per cent each, and corporate financial institutes at 11 per cent. The top ten categories together took 82 per cent of print ad space. LIC led print advertisers with 6 per cent share, and the top ten together covered just 19 per cent of ad space, a reflection of how fragmented print spending remains. Three new entrants joined the top ten in 2025, with Billion Brains Garage Ventures the only exclusive presence not seen in 2024’s list. In the top ten brands, LIC dominated with a 2 per cent share, while Nippon India Mutual Fund rose to third position from fourth in 2024. English accounted for 62 per cent of print ad space, Hindi for 20 per cent. Business and finance publications took 59 per cent of the genre split. The south zone led regional spending with 33 per cent of print ad space, Bangalore topping that zone, while New Delhi and Mumbai were the leading cities nationally.
Radio: louder than ever
Radio ad volumes for the BFSI sector have climbed steadily, rising 12 per cent above 2021 levels in 2023, 36 per cent in 2024 and 45 per cent in 2025. The quarterly pattern within 2025 was volatile: a sharp drop of 43 per cent in the second quarter and 42 per cent in the third, followed by a near-full recovery in the fourth. Life insurance led radio categories with 22 per cent of volumes, banking services and products second at 14 per cent and corporate NBFCs third at 11 per cent. LIC of India held its position as the leading radio advertiser with 20 per cent of ad volumes; the top ten radio advertisers together covered 69 per cent. Muthoot Financial Enterprises led radio brands with 10 per cent share, five of the top ten brands belonged to LIC alone, and SBI Mutual Fund made a remarkable leap to fifth position from 272nd in 2024. Evening and morning time-bands together captured 84 per cent of radio ad volumes, with evenings at 44 per cent and mornings at 40 per cent. Maharashtra was the leading state for radio BFSI advertising with 18 per cent share; Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh together accounted for 43 per cent.
Digital: the five-times surge
If one number defines the 2025 BFSI advertising story, it is five. Digital ad impressions for the sector multiplied fivefold between 2021 and 2025, having already doubled in 2023 and doubled again in 2024 before the 2025 leap. Within the year, impressions dipped 19 per cent in the second quarter and 12 per cent in the third before recovering 8 per cent above the first quarter by the fourth. Banking services and products led digital categories with 27 per cent of impressions, life insurance and credit cards tied at 19 per cent each, and securities and sharebroking organisations fell from first place in 2024 to fourth in 2025. Axis Bank was the runaway leader among digital advertisers with 12 per cent of impressions, followed by ICICI Bank at 9 per cent, IDFC First Bank at 7 per cent and Kotak Mahindra Bank at 6 per cent. The top ten digital advertisers covered 59 per cent of impressions, and seven of them were new entrants compared with 2024, signalling rapid churn in the digital spending hierarchy. At brand level, Axis Bank led with 9 per cent, ICICI HPCL Super Saver Credit Card vaulted to third place from 921st in 2024, and six of the top ten digital brands were new to the list. Programmatic buying accounted for 91 per cent of all digital BFSI transactions; combined with ad networks, it captured 96 per cent.
The data from TAM AdEx paints the portrait of a sector that still believes in the power of the television news bulletin to sell insurance to the masses, but increasingly knows that the next generation of borrowers, investors and cardholders is scrolling, not watching. The race is now on to reach them before the algorithm serves up someone else’s loan offer first.
