From talking about struggles of COVID batch students to addressing how our country survived extreme oxygen shortage in 2021, HDFC Life’s latest ad will leave you teary-eyed

• In a category that follows a homogenised approach to advertising, Insurance major HDFC Life’s latest campaign is like a breath of fresh air.
• It is an insurance advertisement that won’t make you press that skip button and will stay with you for a long time.
• Conceptualised and produced by Leo Burnett India, HDFC Life takes an emotional route to convey how different our life is today and how insurance plays an important role in keeping us secure, without really mentioning it.

At a time when consumers are extremely scared about their health and are spending extra on health care, the insurance sector, under the BFSI category, is one of the biggest advertising spenders in India. According to TAM, 27% of the BSFI television ads during Jan-Aug 2021, were by the Life Insurance sector. However, advertising in the insurance industry in India, even till a few years back, used to be more about talking about the various benefits of the policy in less than 30 seconds than a strong story or narrative. So, in a category that follows a homogenised approach to advertising, Insurance major HDFC Life’s latest campaign feels like a breath of fresh air.

HDFC Life steps into the shoes of students who are commonly known as the ‘COVID batch’ or the batch of 2022. A young girl, as she passes on from school to college, delivers a speech in front of her whole batch. As she stands on the podium, she mimics how we often forget to unmute ourselves before speaking in a Zoom session. Those who haven’t had to go to school due to the pandemic or sit through 8 hours of classes and pass through multiple offline exams are often told that they have had it easy. “What are your achievements? You were just at home for 2 years,” people taunt them, shares the protagonist in her speech. However, she highlights how people often forget that they had to concentrate on studying and passing their highly competitive exams, while their parents struggled to make ends meet. The parents prioritised their kid’s school fees on salary cuts and ensured that they have the space to concentrate on online sessions as they worried about hospital bills. She goes on to share how her father worried about her online exams even when he was breathing through an oxygen cylinder and battling through COVID.

The advertisement then subtly and cleverly mentions how the parents also secured their kids' future by investing in life insurance. The protagonist mentions, “When the world was filled with uncertainties about the future, our parents did everything to ensure our future was as secure as ever.” With her moving speech, she explains how the kids of 2022, the COVID batch, have learnt a lot more from their parents and COVID warriors than any textbook could ever teach them. ‘This tough chapter of bouncing back from life’s most difficult challenges’ will be an invaluable lesson for these students.

Conceputalised and produced by Leo Burnett India, the advertisement ‘Bounce Back’ for HDFC Life takes an emotional route to convey how different our life is today and how insurance plays an important role in keeping us secure, without really mentioning the brand name throughout its narrative.

Speaking about the campaign, Rajdeepak Das, CEO & Chief Creative Officer, South Asia, Leo Burnett said, “One of the biggest setbacks of the pandemic was the shutdown of educational institutions. The batch of 2022 is often referred to as the ‘Covid batch’ and are questioned whether they are at par with those before. Our film takes the audiences on an emotional journey of how in reality, the Covid batch was the most resilient batch ever, facing real life problems like no one else in the last century. And how, by taking cues from their parents and peers, they have bounced back from these challenges.”

HDFC Life's 'Bounce Back' is an insurance advertisement that doesn’t make you want to press that skip button and is certainly one that will stay with you for a long time.