In an exclusive interaction with MediaBrief, Khyati Shah, EVP of Corporate Marketing at Kinara Capital, discusses the brand’s latest campaign—Aapka Business Chale NonStop with Kinara Capital—and outlines the creative process behind it, as well as its media mix.
Shah talks about the decision to release multiple short films and tailor the message for various formats and platforms, as well as the decision to choose Ravindra Jadeja as the brand ambassador.
Shah also highlights the challenges faced by MSME entrepreneurs and expands on how Kinara Capital aims to help them with its innovative solutions. Read on.
What was the insight and inspiration behind the Aapka Business Chale NonStop campaign?
The insight and the inspiration of the campaign, Aapka Business Chale NonStop with Kinara Capital are our customers – the small business entrepreneurs that fuel India’s economy! The new campaign is a reflection of our unwavering commitment to empower small business entrepreneurs to flourish and grow their business with Kinara Capital.
The campaign stems from our core mission of democratizing access to formal capital for the micro-small-medium enterprise (MSME) sector that contributes to nearly 30% of India’s GDP.
Despite this contribution, many MSMEs struggle to access business loans without property collateral and many entrepreneurs are not aware of the availability of collateral-free business loans.
This campaign acknowledges the common hurdles and systemic biases faced by small business entrepreneurs and showcases our brand ambassador Ravindra Jadeja saving the day by guiding them to a solution with the multilingual myKinara Capital App from Kinara Capital.
The inspiration wasn’t that hard to find as the ads depict the real-life struggles of our customers. Each ad showcases one critical obstacle routinely faced by MSME entrepreneurs in their quest to access capital to grow their businesses.
We wanted the obstacles to be presented in an overtly visual manner with a traditional loan officer reinforcing the pain points and superhero Jadeja slinging Kinara Capital’s triangular brandmark to vanquish the obstacles.
The ‘Aapka Business Chale NonStop with Kinara Capital’ campaign reassures India’s small business entrepreneurs that they can focus on growth, with Jadeja’s superhero persona emphasizing Kinara Capital’s commitment to empowering them.
What went behind its conception and execution?
The creative process was a lot of fun, thanks to our partnership with the Lowe Lintas team, who brought precision and creativity to every step of ideation and execution. With sharp and humorous scripts, we felt confident in approaching Ravindra Jadeja to portray him as a superhero for the first time.
He excelled in this role, adding a unique flair to Kinara Capital’s message for MSMEs. Given Jadeja’s success in this role, we wouldn’t be surprised if a full superhero action movie is in his future!
What made you decide to release multiple short films for this campaign?
Each ad in our campaign illustrates a specific challenge faced by MSME entrepreneurs in India. Our goal is to use these stories to demonstrate how our core products and USPs are designed to overcome these obstacles.
Given that the campaign is intended for digital platforms, we have created multiple versions of each ad: a main 30-second cut, a shorter 15-second cut, and a brief 6-second bumper. This flexibility allows us to tailor the message for various formats and platforms, ensuring maximum engagement with our audience.
To connect with our target groups (TGs) in key regions, we have made these ads available in multiple languages: Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Gujarati, and Marathi. This multilingual approach allows us to engage more effectively with customers in the areas where we have branches, offering a more personalized experience that resonates with local audiences.
How does this campaign and the choice of brand ambassador Ravindra Jadeja align with Kinara Capital’s overall vision?
Ravindra Jadeja’s journey to cricketing success is a testament to his unwavering determination and passion, mirroring the ethos of many MSME entrepreneurs. Coming from humble beginnings, he made his mark through grit and perseverance.
This narrative strongly aligns with Kinara Capital’s values and the spirit of our customers, who build their businesses from the ground up through hard work and resilience.
Kinara Capital’s focus over the past decade and a half has been to expand financial inclusion, and support small business entrepreneurs across India. Ravindra Jadeja’s career, spanning 15 years since his ODI debut, reflects a similar dedication to excellence, earning him admiration from cricket fans and athletes worldwide.
In Jadeja, we have found the ideal brand ambassador who exemplifies the same commitment to hard work and success that defines Kinara Capital and our customers.
His journey resonates with our mission, inspiring India’s small business entrepreneurs to pursue their goals with the same dedication and persistence. Jadeja’s presence in our campaign fuels the aspirations of those we serve, encouraging them to continue striving for success, much like the cricket star himself.
Through this partnership, Kinara Capital underscores its commitment to empowering MSMEs and reinforcing the values of determination, resilience, and excellence.
What are some of the challenges faced by MSME entrepreneurs and what are the solutions Kinara Capital is providing its customers to solve these?
The lack of capital hampers business growth, making it challenging for MSMEs to remain competitive or pursue new opportunities such as expanding product lines, purchasing raw materials at favorable rates, buying machinery to boost productivity, hiring additional staff, or renovating business premises.
Given that many MSMEs operate on a tight cash flow with just a few months’ reserves, they require rapid access to formal capital to grow sustainably. Tech-enabled processes that eliminate paperwork, accelerate KYC and income verification through our flagship myKinara Capital App, enable us to guide entrepreneurs from loan inquiry to disbursement within 24 hours, with an instant eligibility check that requires no document uploads.
This swift financing is crucial for MSMEs, allowing them to seize growth opportunities, invest in resources, meet operational costs, and stay competitive in an ever-changing market.
How does myKinara Capital app and the use of AI/ML technology aid the underserved MSMEs?
The use of AI/ML-based credit decisioning offers a data-driven approach that removes human bias from loan decisioning, providing a fairer outcome for entrepreneurs who often face systemic prejudice.
The MSME sector in India is the second largest in the world, employing over 100 million people, and it plays a critical role as India continues to lead as the world’s fastest-growing major economy. Despite this, the sector is significantly underserved!
Although MSMEs contribute immensely to the economy, the key hurdle they face is a lack of access to formal credit. This issue creates a missing middle, with a credit gap exceeding $400 billion in India.
Notably, women entrepreneurs represent 40% of this credit gap, despite only 20% of MSMEs being women-owned. AI/ML technology helps bridge this gap by prescribing specific outcomes for loan factors like tenure and amount, minimizing risks, and maximizing benefits for both lender and borrower.
What was the media mix that Kinara Capital has leveraged for this campaign?
Our media mix for Aapka Business Chale Non-Stop with Kinara Capital is exclusively centered on online platforms, with a focus on established channels like Facebook/Instagram (Meta), YouTube, and Google Search. We’re also exploring ways to broaden our reach through partnerships with regional micro-influencers and affiliate networks.
For a B2B product like ours, online channels offer superior ROI compared to traditional TV commercials, thanks to their trackable metrics and ability to run detailed analyses. Instant optimization helps us to fine-tune our campaigns while maintaining a lower CPL.
Our target demographic—mostly people in their mid-thirties—is much more tech-savvy today as compared to when Kinara Capital started in 2011. We are seeing MSMEs rapidly embracing digital technologies, and connecting with them through social media and other online platforms aligns with our CTA, which is to encourage them to download the myKinara Capital App or visit our website and click on Apply Now.
This online-centric approach gives us the flexibility and responsiveness we need to meet our audience where they are, making it easier for MSMEs to engage with us and access our products with just one click!
What’s next for the ‘Aapka Business Chale NonStop with Kinara Capital’ campaign and what are Kinara Capital’s future endeavors with regards to serving the MSME entrepreneurs?
Our commitment to delivering value and supporting business growth is epitomized by the ‘Aapka Business Chale NonStop with Kinara Capital’ campaign. Our brand ambassador, Ravindra Jadeja, has been a fantastic partner, bringing enthusiasm and creativity to the table.
His personal social media channels have given us unparalleled visibility, allowing us to connect with millions of his followers. The phased approach, starting with a teaser and culminating in the ad launch, was exciting and led to a great response, thanks in part to influencers like Saravanan Hari (@cricsuperfan) picking it up.
We are excited to continue expanding this campaign across multiple languages, leveraging Jadeja’s support and working with a network of regional micro-influencers. By tapping into their established audiences, we aim to reach even more entrepreneurs and spread the word about Kinara Capital’s commitment to helping businesses thrive.
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