Categories Name : Web

Sub-Category : Best Benchmark Content / Branded Content

Entry Name (Campaign) : TVF's Yeh Meri Family

Brand Name : The Viral Fever

Metal : Gold

Covering Note / Overall Experience

“Mutual fund investments are subject to market risks. Please read the offer document carefully before investing” is one phrase the whole of India has heard. But there’s a very small percentage that really knows what mutuals funds exactly are.
So, when AMFI partnered with TVF while launching the next phase of their mutual funds “sahi hai” campaign as a part of their investor outreach program, its objective was clear - to engage educated 25-40 year-olds early in their financial journey and bring mutual funds into the consideration set of this young, investment-friendly audience.
TVF identified the core audience of AMFI’s marketing message as the ‘90s kids – educated middle-class Indians with uniquely shared experiences growing up in the 1990s. These were the audience that related the strongest to the nostalgia of a simpler time. As a result, Yeh Meri Family was based in the summer of ‘98, seen through the eyes of the 12-year-old protagonist.
And that's how TVF's Yeh Meri Family was born, a family-oriented web-series that took the core audience on a trip down nostalgia lane, establishing the perfect ground to deliver AMFI’s key message to the 25-35 urban audience. A part of Netflix's global content library, TVF's fourth entry into IMDB's Top 250, Yeh Meri Family established itself as a cult in 2018.

Concept

In 2018, Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) launched the next phase of their mutual funds “sahi hai” campaign taking the narrative forward. The objective was to engage young Indians, aged 25 to 35, early in their financial journey and bring mutual funds into the consideration set of this young, investment-friendly audience. AMFI's research had shown that this audience had migrated to digital entertainment, and hence, a strong content strategy was needed to influence the financial decisions.
TVF was also briefed a strong correlation between this demographic’s concern for their families while making financial decisions. And that's how Yeh Meri Family was born, a web series set in the summer of '98, seen through the eyes of the 12-year-old protagonist.

Innovation

The affable father of the protagonist, Mr. Gupta was chosen as the locus of the brand messaging, who is also an investment advisor in the series. The much-loved character, played by Akarsh Khurana, dispensed complex financial advise using simple parables and anecdotes - advising clients on goal-based investing, staying in the market for long-term gains and about market volatility. The character was a pivotal role and was looked upon by the protagonist.

Execution

The character of Mr. Gupta was shown to offer and emphasize investment in mutual funds as a way of thinking.
To explain nuances of investing like goal-based investing, SIPs and market volatility, the character used easy everyday analogies to explain some of these technical aspects; example "Doodh kitni der ubaalna chahiye?" is used to explain goal-based investing.
Released on TVFPlay, viewers were exposed to a Mutual Funds Sahi Hai pre-roll, before watching episodes of Yeh Meri Family creating the perfect atmosphere for a great branded content experience on TVFPlay. The integration was supported by a mini-series released on social media – that focused on Gupta’s investment advice delivered in inimitable style.
Alongside powerful storytelling, TVF’s distribution strategy for the web-series helped generate over 0.4bn impressions across digital channels, garnering over 35mn views. Praises on different social media platforms by the likes of Ekta Kapoor, Bhuvan Bam, Zakir Khan and many others were all over.

Results

With strong brand integrations, Yeh Meri Family delivered on all of AMFI’s campaign goals: driving a 47% lift in likelihood to invest, and a 43% lift in awareness about mutual funds, as discovered by an independently conducted Nielsen research.The content campaign was also key creating new information structures around mutual funds – a 38% decrease in belief that mutual funds only invest in equity, and a 51% lift in the understanding that mutual fund durations are directly linked to the size of investment. Overall, 64% of people who saw the web-series claimed to learn something new about mutual funds through Yeh Meri Family.
Earned media Social Samosa called Yeh Meri Family "A family-oriented web-series that took the core audience on a trip down nostalgia lane was the perfect ground to deliver AMFI’s key message to the 25-35 urban audience."
In fact, the show has since found its way into the global Netflix library and features in the IMDB top 250 list of shows around the world.