Birla Sunlife: Educating investors

Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund has launched Jaanotohmaano.com as an integral part of its investor education and awareness programme.

Investor awareness has been the biggest point of discussion for financial brands in the last couple of years. Market regulator SEBI, in 2012, had also come out with its own website in 13 Indian languages, to spread awareness among investors and to help resolve their grievances.

Following the same lines, Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund (BSLMF), India's fourth largest mutual fund company, has launched 'Jaanoge Tabhi Toh Maanoge' as an investor education and awareness programme. As part of the programme, the company has also developed a website,
Jaanotohmaano.com
, which forms an integral part of the initiative.

Targeted at investors and potential investors, Jaanoge Tabhi Toh Maanoge (JTTM) is a 360 degree effort that seeks to deliver the right awareness and perception about mutual funds so even a common man can know, understand and realise the potential of mutual funds as a powerful investment option.

The company has launched a television commercial, which is the first of the three commercials to be aired across national television, on November 11. The commercial aims to drive traffic to the website. The TVC has been designed by JWT and the website has been designed by Indigo Consulting, a full-service interactive marketing and technology agency from the Publicis Groupe.

The website, as per the company, has been developed keeping two important things in mind - the seriousness of the topic and the willingness of the users to know about mutual funds. The task at hand, the agency says, was to simplify mutual fund concepts by presenting ideas and real life situations that investors are accustomed to.

Speaking about the website and the campaign, Ajay Kakar, chief marketing officer, financial services, Aditya Birla Group, says, "Jaanoge Tabhi Toh Maanoge is not just a mere campaign. It is a platform that we can own through time here after. The JTTM website which captures facets of mutual funds now becomes the hub that we will continue to enrich with a lot of informative nuggets, life facts and trivia to make it sticky with viewers. Every initiative we do, hence, will add to and further build this platform."

The website uses examples that investors understand so they can relate to the message. The website uses animated infographics to explain mutual fund concepts with great simplicity.

The other interactive elements in the website are the Knowledge Series, Quiz, and The Knowing Game, among others. The Knowing Game, for example, helps users identify different financial goals based on different stages of their life cycle, indicating how mutual funds can help them to achieve these goals through sheer dedication and disciplined investment habits.

Vikas Tandon, managing director, Indigo Consulting, states, "Financial awareness is a serious subject that involves several fundamental concepts. Most content around this topic is perceived to be fairly technical. The biggest task for us was to offset this notion and present mutual fund concepts in a manner that is high on simplicity and visual appeal. We also wanted to differentiate the offering from other players, and present a platform that builds brand recall and affinity for Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund."

Established in 1994, Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company Limited (BSLAMC), investment manager for Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund, is a joint venture between the Aditya Birla Group and Sun Life Financial Inc, a leading international financial services organisation from Canada.

Indigo Consulting is a full-service interactive marketing and technology agency and is a part of the Publicis Groupe and aligned with the Leo Burnett Worldwide network. The agency's clients include Godrej Nature's Basket, ICICI Bank, Asian Paints, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, Liberty Videocon General Insurance Limited, Max Life Insurance and Kalpataru Limited.