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HSBC India’s campaign ‘My Account Starts Today,’ launched in 2023, strategically leverages the influence of ace cricketer Virat Kohli to embody the brand’s core philosophy of embracing fresh beginnings and unlocking new possibilities. Created by Contract Advertising, a part of Wunderman Thompson South Asia, this integrated campaign highlights HSBC’s commitment to supporting the ambitions of an aspirational India poised to make its mark globally. Virat Kohli, newly appointed as the brand influencer, is portrayed in a unique and never-before-seen avatar, symbolizing a departure from past achievements and an invitation to focus on future opportunities. The campaign’s narrative evokes a strong sense of nostalgia through a visually compelling TV commercial that begins with iconic cricket imagery, including a stadium and a billboard featuring Virat’s name fading among other renowned batsmen’s accolades, symbolizing the evolution from past glory to new beginnings. As the ad progresses, Virat’s presence diminishes across various elements—a press conference, trophy cabinet, newspapers, YouTube channels, and the dressing room—conveying a deliberate and powerful message of moving beyond historical success. In the culminating moment, Virat addresses viewers directly, urging them to set aside his cricketing legacy and focus on the prospects ahead, encapsulating HSBC’s essence of “Opening up a world of opportunity.” His emergence through the red dressing room door, transitioning into the HSBC logo and paired with the tagline ‘My Account Starts Today,’ powerfully cements the campaign’s message of fresh starts with HSBC as a dependable financial partner. The campaign’s wide-reaching media mix spans print, television, outdoor, OTT platforms, and digital channels, ensuring broad and effective engagement with the target audience. The collaboration underscores a seamless blend of Virat Kohli’s disciplined persona with HSBC’s trusted brand values, crafting an inspirational story that resonates deeply with consumers aspiring to embrace new horizons.
HSBC India’s 2023 campaign, "My Account Starts Today," positions the brand as an enabler of new opportunities for an aspirational India aiming to expand globally. By featuring cricket icon Virat Kohli in a previously unseen persona, the campaign underscores HSBC’s promise to support individuals in starting afresh and realizing ambitious goals through dependable financial partnerships. The central brand proposition articulates HSBC not merely as a banking service but as a catalyst for transformation and growth, aligning with the ethos of “Opening up a world of opportunity.” Strategically, the campaign leverages Virat Kohli’s widespread appeal and disciplined persona to resonate with a youthful, opportunity-driven demographic that values reinvention and progress. The creative direction employs nostalgia and symbolism, depicting Virat’s cricketing achievements fading away to emphasize forward momentum and new beginnings rather than past accolades. This narrative angle connects emotionally with viewers by illustrating the universal theme of evolution, reinforcing confidence in HSBC as a trusted partner during life’s transitions. The multimedia rollout—across print, television, outdoor, OTT, and digital platforms—maximizes reach and engagement, targeting digitally savvy, aspirational professionals in India who seek financial products aligned with their global ambitions. Overall, the campaign’s insight hinges on the intersection of personal reinvention with financial empowerment, embodied through a high-profile influencer whose credibility enhances HSBC’s relevance in a competitive banking landscape.
FORMAT#8 ONGOING CHARACTERS OR CELEBRITIES — Uses a recurring personality or celebrity for brand recall. This campaign centers unmistakably on celebrity leverage, with Virat Kohli’s recent appointment as HSBC India’s brand influencer becoming the narrative’s creative backbone. Rather than unfolding a story arc or directly demonstrating product features, the commercial uses Virat’s iconic persona and career metaphorically to evoke the bank’s themes of new beginnings and boundless opportunity. By dramatizing his “refresh” and connecting it visually and rhetorically to starting a new bank account, HSBC deeply taps into Virat’s aspirational value, driving strong brand association through celebrity-led identity and recall. ADVERTISING FORMATS EXPLAINED: https://www.clapboard.com/blog/12-key-advertising-formats-or-techniques
1. HDFC Bank – Market Positioning HDFC Bank positions itself as a customer-centric, technology-driven bank focusing on convenience, superior digital banking experiences, and a comprehensive product portfolio. It emphasizes trust, reliability, and strong retail banking services, appealing to urban and semi-urban customers seeking efficient financial solutions. 2. ICICI Bank – Market Positioning ICICI Bank leverages innovation and wide-reaching digital platforms to offer seamless banking services. It differentiates itself through cutting-edge technology, extensive branch and ATM networks, and a focus on retail, corporate, and investment banking with personalized customer engagement. 3. State Bank of India (SBI) – Market Positioning SBI, as India’s largest public sector bank, emphasizes trust, nationwide reach, and affordability. It serves diverse customer segments, from rural to urban, promoting financial inclusion while capitalizing on its government backing and extensive physical presence. 4. Axis Bank – Market Positioning Axis Bank brands itself as a progressive bank combining digital innovation with personalized services. It targets affluent and emerging customers by providing flexible banking solutions, a strong digital interface, and an emphasis on lifestyle and wealth management products. 5. Kotak Mahindra Bank – Market Positioning Kotak Mahindra Bank differentiates itself through its integrated financial services approach, strong wealth management, and customer-focused digital innovations. It positions itself as a modern, responsive bank catering to both retail and corporate clients with a premium banking experience.
My Account Starts TodayHSBC India unveiled its latest advertising campaign featuring their new brand influencer, ace cricketer Virat Kohli. The campaign conceptualized by Wunderman Thompson’s group company Contract Advertising, highlights HSBC's purpose of "Opening up a world of opportunity" as it works to support the goals of an aspirational India going global and features Virat in a never-before-seen avatar. Virat was recently announced as the brand influencer for HSBC India, in an association that aimed at leveraging the ace cricketer’s appeal to help illustrate the benefits of banking with HSBC. The campaign will run across print, television, outdoor, OTT platforms and digital media to connect with the target audience. The campaign reveals a side of Virat's personality that has never been seen before. The brand has successfully evoked nostalgia in this most recent TV commercial, which begins with a shot of a cricket stadium and shows Virat's name on a billboard beneath a prestigious list of batsmen before abruptly starting to fade away. At a press conference where Virat's presence is shown fading over time - a trophy cabinet on the wall, newspapers, YouTube channels, and a dressing room wall all follow a similar pattern to the Honours Board. Finally, a close-up of his face can be seen on the screen as he puts on his helmet and stands in front of the red door to his dressing room. Virat is seen telling millions of viewers in the final moments of the advertisement to forget about all his accomplishments and his cricketing past and instead to concentrate on the new opportunities and the persona he is about to assume. When the door finally opens, he exits into an energetic stadium. The open red door changes into the HSBC logo with the powerful tagline "My Account Starts Today" as he moves away from the camera.This professional campaign titled 'My Account Starts Today' was published in India in June, 2023. It was created for the brand: HSBC, by ad agencies: Contract Advertising and Wunderman Thompson South Asia. This Integrated medium campaign is related to the Finance industry and contains 1 media asset. It was submitted almost 2 years ago.HSBCIndiaIntegratedFinance1. Year: 2023 2. Title: HSBC India's campaign ‘My Account Starts Today’ features ace cricketer Virat Kohli 3. Description: Group company Contract Advertising’s new campaign for HSBC India ‘My Account Starts Today’ featuring ace cricketer Virat Kohli advocates the brand philosophy of seeking new opportunities by starting afresh. The campaign highlights HSBC's purpose of ‘Opening up a world of opportunity’ as it works to support the goals of an aspirational India going global and features Virat in a never-before-seen avatar. Virat was recently announced as the brand influencer for HSBC India, in an association that aimed at leveraging the ace cricketer’s appeal to help illustrate the benefits of banking with HSBC. His disciplined approach and commitment to his craft converges with HSBC India’s standing as a trusted and dependable financial partner to make this a winning association. The campaign will run across print, television, outdoor, OTT platforms and digital media to connect with the target audience. Agency Credits: Raji Ramaswamy - Chief Growth Officer - WT South Asia & CEO - Contract Advertising Rahul Ghosh - Executive Creative Director Rohit Srivastava - Chief Strategy Officer Ayan Chakraborty - EVP & GM Sabina Singh - Senior Vice President Sagar Chhabria - AVP & Senior Creative Director Anwesha Praharaj - Associate Creative Director Bappaditya Saha - Creative Director Yogesh Palav - Creative Director Mihin Mehta - Group Account Director Akankhita Roy - Account Executive Iksha Sinha - Account Executive Akshay Kamble - Senior Manager - Films 4. Language: en 5. Views: 3089 6. Likes: 7. Comments: 0PerformanceHSBC India’s 2023 campaign, "My Account Starts Today," positions the brand as an enabler of new opportunities for an aspirational India aiming to expand globally. By featuring cricket icon Virat Kohli in a previously unseen persona, the campaign underscores HSBC’s promise to support individuals in starting afresh and realizing ambitious goals through dependable financial partnerships. The central brand proposition articulates HSBC not merely as a banking service but as a catalyst for transformation and growth, aligning with the ethos of “Opening up a world of opportunity.” Strategically, the campaign leverages Virat Kohli’s widespread appeal and disciplined persona to resonate with a youthful, opportunity-driven demographic that values reinvention and progress. The creative direction employs nostalgia and symbolism, depicting Virat’s cricketing achievements fading away to emphasize forward momentum and new beginnings rather than past accolades. This narrative angle connects emotionally with viewers by illustrating the universal theme of evolution, reinforcing confidence in HSBC as a trusted partner during life’s transitions. The multimedia rollout—across print, television, outdoor, OTT, and digital platforms—maximizes reach and engagement, targeting digitally savvy, aspirational professionals in India who seek financial products aligned with their global ambitions. Overall, the campaign’s insight hinges on the intersection of personal reinvention with financial empowerment, embodied through a high-profile influencer whose credibility enhances HSBC’s relevance in a competitive banking landscape.FORMAT#8 ONGOING CHARACTERS OR CELEBRITIES — Uses a recurring personality or celebrity for brand recall. This campaign centers unmistakably on celebrity leverage, with Virat Kohli’s recent appointment as HSBC India’s brand influencer becoming the narrative’s creative backbone. Rather than unfolding a story arc or directly demonstrating product features, the commercial uses Virat’s iconic persona and career metaphorically to evoke the bank’s themes of new beginnings and boundless opportunity. By dramatizing his “refresh” and connecting it visually and rhetorically to starting a new bank account, HSBC deeply taps into Virat’s aspirational value, driving strong brand association through celebrity-led identity and recall. ADVERTISING FORMATS EXPLAINED: https://www.clapboard.com/blog/12-key-advertising-formats-or-techniques1. HDFC Bank – Market Positioning HDFC Bank positions itself as a customer-centric, technology-driven bank focusing on convenience, superior digital banking experiences, and a comprehensive product portfolio. It emphasizes trust, reliability, and strong retail banking services, appealing to urban and semi-urban customers seeking efficient financial solutions. 2. ICICI Bank – Market Positioning ICICI Bank leverages innovation and wide-reaching digital platforms to offer seamless banking services. It differentiates itself through cutting-edge technology, extensive branch and ATM networks, and a focus on retail, corporate, and investment banking with personalized customer engagement. 3. State Bank of India (SBI) – Market Positioning SBI, as India’s largest public sector bank, emphasizes trust, nationwide reach, and affordability. It serves diverse customer segments, from rural to urban, promoting financial inclusion while capitalizing on its government backing and extensive physical presence. 4. Axis Bank – Market Positioning Axis Bank brands itself as a progressive bank combining digital innovation with personalized services. It targets affluent and emerging customers by providing flexible banking solutions, a strong digital interface, and an emphasis on lifestyle and wealth management products. 5. Kotak Mahindra Bank – Market Positioning Kotak Mahindra Bank differentiates itself through its integrated financial services approach, strong wealth management, and customer-focused digital innovations. It positions itself as a modern, responsive bank catering to both retail and corporate clients with a premium banking experience.HSBC, My Account Starts Today, Virat Kohli, 2023, India, banking campaign, finance industry, brand influencer, cricket celebrity, HSBC India, Wunderman Thompson South Asia, Contract Advertising, integrated campaign, performance genre, outdoor media, television commercial, print media, digital media, OTT platforms, nostalgia, inspirational advertising, brand philosophy, opening up a world of opportunity, going global, new beginning, stadium, dressing room, red door, HSBC logo, powerful tagline, cricket stadium, billboard, trophy cabinet, newspapers, YouTube campaign, expressive storytelling, aspirational India, trust in banking, financial partner, celebrity endorsement, brand connection, creative agency, account management, Rohit Srivastava, Rahul Ghosh, Ayan Chakraborty, Sabina Singh, Sagar Chhabria, Anwesha Praharaj, Bappaditya Saha, Yogesh Palav, Mihin Mehta, Akankhita Roy, Iksha Sinha, Akshay Kamble
Brand: HSBC
Agency: Wunderman Thompson South Asia, Contract Advertising
Country: India
Year: 2023

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