Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund reiterates trust in Equities

Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund reiterates trust in Equities
with ‘Jaanoge Tabhi Toh Maanoge’ Phase-III

- Third TVC breaks across National Television
- Highlights Equity Mutual Funds as the vehicle for long-term wealth creation
- Provokes viewers to reflect on how ‘Good Results Take Time’

Mumbai, September 8, 2014: Jaanoge Tabhi Toh Maanoge (JTTM) — the uniquely executed Investor Education Initiative from Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company Limited, a part of Aditya Birla Financial Services Group, and investment manager for Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund (BSLMF), entered Phase III with the launch of its third TV commercial which breaks across national television today. Directed by Shimit Amin, the TVC is created by Taproot, Mumbai. The effort at this stage lies in showcasing the suitability of equity mutual funds as the asset class for wealth creation over the long term.

Equity mutual funds — why now?
Equity mutual funds have historically proven to be best in class asset category for wealth creation over long duration. For example, while average consumer inflation (CPI) for last 10 years has been 8.5% , the average 10-year return on Bank FDs has been 7.9%, on gold 15.7%, the Sensex delivered total returns of 19.3% per annum which is also tax-free when held for over 1 year. Retail investors have however not benefited from this on a sustained basis. This can be seen from historical data a study of which clearly indicates how investors try to time their market entry instead of staying invested for the long-term.

Commenting on the choice of theme, Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer - Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group said, “As subject matter experts, we know the opportunity Indian equity mutual funds present to investors. The investor experience however seems to be marked either by their fear of volatility or expectation for short-term gain. Our objective this time around is to try point out how patience and long-term duration of investment can be key to fruitful returns in equity mutual funds.”

Chief Executive Officer, A. Balasubramanian, Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company added, “It is the need of every citizen to plan his financial goals for a better tomorrow. Our endeavour is to make investors realize that equity mutual fund is an asset class that demands investment discipline and long-term commitment so that they may make the most of this asset class to achieve their long-term aspirations.”

The objective of the latest campaign from Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund is to empower the viewers to self-realize the opportunity of investing in equity mutual funds. This has been brought about by addressing the investor’s anxiety over equity mutual funds by highlighting the fact that in the long run, equities have given better returns when given enough time.

Speaking about the campaign Pallavi Chakravarti, Creative Director, Taproot India said, "The Jaanoge Toh Maanoge initiative has always drawn parallels between mutual funds and real life. This time we needed investors to understand the merits of staying invested in equity mutual funds for a long period of time, because good returns are not an overnight phenomenon; which led us to the all-too-real life analogy of anxious parents. The kinds we see all around us, who expect miraculous things from their kids in very little time. Hopefully the film will tell parents and investors alike, in a light-hearted yet insightful way, that good results take time."

Agnello Dias, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Taproot India added, "When advertising for an investment product like a mutual fund, the penny drop moment leading to sharp realization is very important. The story-telling has to be simple, non-preachy and yet persuasive. That was our endeavour behind this empathetic and engaging story for Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund."

Commenting about the film craft Shimit Amin who directed this TVC said, "We needed the message about expectations to be clear without any distracting story elements. The script did all the work so I could focus on the characters and their chemistry. For me the key were the timing and the beats. It was fun working the mischief angle, subconsciously working in Chaplin's The Kid."

The campaign stresses how investors need to be patient with equity mutual fund investments. The latest television commercial subtly mimics the unrealistic, short-term expectation of the investor by projecting a dedicated parent who expects a reputed Tuition Center to make his son a topper overnight. In doing so, the brand slips in the message how ‘Good Results Take Time’ by reiterating that spending time staying invested (letting your money grow over time) is much more important than timing the market (Entering and exiting the market to make a windfall)

The TVC opens with a man walking purposefully down the road firmly holding onto a small boy in tow. He seems visibly upset while the child is lost in a world of his own. At this moment, the narrator or sutradhar says, “Today, Mr. Mehra’s son failed in mathematics”. We now see Mr Mehra along with his son march right into a Tuition Centre, as the sutradhar continues, “Which is why, he went straight to the best tuition teacher in town” and while getting his son registered at the Tuition Centre said, “— so my son will top from tomorrow onwards right?” Hearing this expectation from the father, both the teacher and the child are taken aback and look at the father wide-eyed. The film then cuts to the sutradhar, who is sitting on the one of the benches of the tuition center. He then tells the viewers — “Even you will agree that one does not get results this fast, but if I tell you the same thing about Equity Mutual Funds, will you agree?” He then urges the viewer to give enough time to their equity mutual fund investments to grow. The TVC then closes with the sutradhar highlighting the tagline, Jaanoge tabhi toh Maanoge, urging viewers to visit www.jaanotohmaano.com for more information about mutual funds.

Directed by Shimit Amin, the TVC is created by Team Taproot, Mumbai led by Umesh Shrikhande, Agnello Dias, Santosh Padhi, comprising Priyanka Rishi, Priyank Misra, Ambalika Sen in Account Management and Pallavi Chakravarti, Gauri Burma, Nivedita Agashe, Pranav Bhide, Rutuja Mali and Anoop K K in Creative.

Phase III of Jaanoge Tabhi Toh Maanoge comprises a complete 360 degree communication mix for multi-channel and multi-screen visibility. The television commercial created by Taproot India breaks across national television on September 8, 2014. It draws viewer traffic to a user-friendly, interactive website www.jaanotohmaano.com by Grey Digital which enhances user experience through social integration and sharing of UGC across social platforms. This is supported with radio-spots across leading radio stations and direct emailers across audience clusters and branding across BSLMF’s national network.

Mutual Fund investments are subject to market risks, read all scheme related documents carefully.

About Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund’s Jaanoge Tabhi Toh Maanoge
Since its launch in November 2013, Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund’s Investor Education Initiative - Jaanoge Tabhi Toh Maanoge was focused to deliver the right awareness and the right perception about Mutual Funds so even a common man can know, understand, and realize the potential of Mutual Funds as a powerful investment option. The Programme centered its communication to address specific perception barriers to Mutual Fund investing through real life situations that investors can relate to and then draw a parallel with facets of Mutual Funds. In doing so, it spoke to investors in a language they understand while highlighting the variety of investment opportunities provided by mutual funds for mass India across life cycles.

JTTM’s launch TV commercial drew a parallel between fresh, good quality food preparations and mutual funds explaining that both require time for best results and cannot be hurried. The second TV commercial targeted the primary audience of traditional investors to address the popular perception (barrier) that equates mutual funds with equity, and therefore with risk. The TVC used the analogy of different varieties of tea preparations to explains how mutual fund offerings extend beyond equity to several other options. With Phase II, JTTM used the The Mutual Fund Song to target the younger segment of digital natives to mirror general myths and perceptions associated with mutual funds in a light vein, while presenting mutual funds, generally perceived to be serious and boring, in a new and refreshing light.

About Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company Limited
Established in 1994, Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company Limited (BSLAMC), investment manager for Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund, is a joint venture between the Aditya Birla Group and Sun Life Financial Inc, a leading international financial services organisation from Canada. Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund is the fourth largest Fund house in India based on domestic average assets under management as published by AMFI for the quarter ended June 30, 2014. An impressive mix of reach, a wide range of product offerings across equity, debt, balanced as well as structured asset classes and sound investment performance has helped the company garner over 2 million investor scheme accounts. BSLAMC offers investors a range of comprehensive investment options, which includes diversified and sector specific equity schemes, hybrid funds and a wide range of debt and treasury products. Its offerings also include Portfolio Advisory Services for High Net worth Individuals as well as offshore funds for Non-Resident Indians. Company Information: Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company Limited (Investment Manager for Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund)One India Bulls Centre, Tower 1, 17th Floor, Jupiter Mill Compound, 841, S.B. Marg, Elphinstone Road, Mumbai - 400 013. Tel.: 4356 8000. Website: www.birlasunlife.com CIN: U65991MH1994PLC080811

About Aditya Birla Financial Services Group
Aditya Birla Financial Services Group (ABFSG) ranks among the top 5 fund managers in India (excluding LIC) with an AUM of ~USD 20 billion. Having a strong presence across the life insurance, asset management, NBFC, private equity, retail broking, distribution & wealth management, and general insurance broking businesses, ABFSG is committed to serve the end-to-end financial services needs of its retail and corporate customers. The seven companies representing ABFSG are: Birla Sun Life Insurance Company Ltd., Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company Ltd., Aditya Birla Finance Ltd., Aditya Birla Capital Advisors Pvt. Ltd., Aditya Birla Money Ltd., Aditya Birla Money Mart Ltd. and Aditya Birla Insurance Brokers Ltd. In FY 2012-13, ABFSG reported consolidated revenue from these businesses at Rs. 6,390 Crore (USD 1.17 billion) and earnings before tax at Rs. 761 Crore. Anchored by about 13,000 employees and trusted by over 5 million customers, ABFSG has a nationwide reach through about 1,500 points of presence and about 130,000 agents / channel partners.

About Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd
Aditya Birla Nuvo is a ~USD 4 billion conglomerate operating in the services and the manufacturing sectors, where it commands a leadership position. Its service sector businesses include Financial Services (Life Insurance, Asset Management, NBFC, Private Equity, Broking, Wealth Management and general insurance advisory), Fashion & Lifestyle (Branded apparels & Textiles) and Telecom. Its manufacturing businesses comprise of the Agri, Rayon and Insulators businesses. Aditya Birla Nuvo is part of the Aditya Birla Group, a USD 40 billion Indian multinational. The Group operates in 35 countries across the globe, is anchored by an extraordinary force of about 120,000 employees belonging to 42 nationalities and derives more than 50% of its revenue from its overseas operations.

About Sun Life Financial Inc.
Sun Life Financial Inc. is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth products and services to individuals and corporate customers. Sun Life Financial and its partners have operations in key markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of June 30, 2014, the Sun Life Financial group of companies had total assets under management of $684 billion. Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.