HDFC Securities has rolled out four new TV commercials for its digital investment platform, HDFC Sky, with a clear message: premium, research-backed stock insights should be accessible to every retail investor in India. 

Conceptualised by Steve Priya under the creative direction of Steve Mathias and Priya Pardiwalla, the ad films highlight HDFC Sky’s ‘three-pillar advantage’: free research-driven stock recommendations, a flat brokerage of INR 20 per order, and a single app for all investment needs.

The platform plans to roll out more ad films for Tru and InvestRight in the coming weeks. 

Ahead of the campaign launch, HDFC Securities hosted a media roundtable, where we spoke to Puneeth Bekal, EVP and CMO, HDFC Securities, to get his insights on the campaign and pick his brains on his marketing gameplan for the investment brand. 

Edited excerpts: 

First, on Tru and Sky, it’s been a year since the launch. What kind of outcomes and expectations have the platforms delivered? On the campaign side, beyond the narrative and insights you’ve shared, was there ever a consideration to include client testimonials to boost brand awareness after a year in the market?

We decided not to go down the client testimonials route. The audience here is a very wealthy set, and most people in this segment don’t want to reveal too much. In terms of numbers, TRU’s assets under management crossed INR 10,000 crore within six months of its October 2024 launch.

Since the platform targets the crème de la crème, are there any planned partnerships or initiatives to engage this premium audience?

We have tied up with CNBC-TV18 Prime predominantly to reach out to their audiences and be present at their High-Net-Worth Individual events as well. We are also building on the channel to showcase our new campaigns to a larger audience and have a better reach. 

Also, when it comes to measuring the impact of the campaign, instead of metrics like KPI’s like click-through rates or do attention metrics work best, especially for a Gen Z core audience? 

From a brand standpoint, the two metrics that matter most to me are attention and memory. Attention is measured through view-through rates, not click-through rates. One of the things we are building is the view through rates and how captivating the message and creativity are. Memory is built through TOM (top-of-mind awareness) and share-of-voice scores. Then of course, you have the full funnel: clicks, downloads, conversions.

And for the campaigns, Steve Priya and many other creatives have conceptualised it. Was there any thought of using an in-house communications team instead of an agency?

We evaluated a lot of agencies; it took me almost 8–9 months. For commercial brand campaigns, some nuances require expertise, so that’s where an agency comes in. But internally, my team members are also the face of the brand; many reels and content pieces are created by employees themselves. Even our hires today are chosen not just for market knowledge, but also for their ability to create personal, relatable content.

With discount brokers aggressively chasing Gen Z, what do you think sets HDFC Sky apart for that cohort?

The one thing I believe the investment world needs today is guiding people to invest responsibly. That’s where we come in, because of the depth of our research. I’ve said this earlier too: HDFC is in the best position in India to guide investors responsibly, thanks to our research centre. And all of this is available on the app for free.

Unlike other platforms where research comes at an extra cost, that isn’t the case for the brand. However, is AI powering the personalised research on your app?

From a research and insights standpoint, there’s an underlying pattern-based mechanism. Beyond that, we’ve built an internal IP of a nudge engine. It’s our own algorithm-driven system, designed to send relevant messages. If we don’t engage, it adapts and shifts you between different cohorts over time.

Lastly, on InvestRight’s communication, since Sky targets Gen Z, is InvestRight using print or traditional media to reach its slightly older audience?

Not really. For InvestRight, our relationship manager network across India is the main channel. With 9,500 bank branches plus HSL branches, distribution is already in place. So, instead of heavy media spending, it’s about direct engagement with the right customers, backed by targeted campaigns on TV. So, more personal engagement than broad digital or TV pushes is our game plan.