HDFC Securities: Puneeth Bekal on research-led positioning, multi-pronged campaign rollout

For the first time, HDFC Securities is going live with campaigns across all three of its consumer-facing products - HDFC SKY, InvestRight and HDFC TRU, along with a CSR initiative aimed at educating investors about fraud. The rollouts, staggered over the next few weeks, mark what the company describes as a “power-packed” phase in its brand-building journey.

“Each of these campaigns addresses a distinct consumer need, but they are unified by our core proposition of guided, responsible investing,” said Puneeth Bekal, EVP & CMO, HDFC Securities.

Bekal also drew clear distinctions between the company’s three offerings. HDFC SKY is positioned as a DIY, research-led platform aimed at Gen Z and millennials in the 18–35 age group. InvestRight, on the other hand, is tailored for investors aged 30–44 and above who prefer guided support from relationship managers.

At the top end of the spectrum, HDFC TRU is a pure wealth advisory proposition, reserved for India’s top 30,000 families with assets of over ₹100 crore.

At the heart of this strategy is HDFC SKY, the discount broking app launched in September 2023. What differentiates SKY, Bekal explained, is its positioning as a research-driven alternative in a market where most discounting platforms stop at transactions.

“Our research team is one of the best in India and even APAC, with analysts ranked in the top ten regionally. That strength gets translated into the app through heat maps, curated recommendations, sectoral reports and snackable formats like reels,” he said.

Read On: Our ad spends have been reduced by 76% YOY: Puneeth Bekal, HDFC Securities

SKY’s campaign will first break digitally on September 29, before moving to television on October 9. The media mix is tilted heavily towards digital (80%), with 20% on TV to build frequency.

To counter the perception of being an “expensive” brokerage, HDFC Securities is positioning its platforms as research-driven yet accessible. Beyond the flat Rs 20 brokerage fee, the company is betting on simplified, snackable content to engage a younger audience. Detailed reports are broken down into reels and stories within the SKY app, while features like “Pick of the Week,” trending stocks, and peer signals mirror familiar social media and e-commerce experiences, making investment insights both approachable and shareable.

If SKY is about self-directed investing for Gen Z, InvestRight is designed for consumers who prefer personal guidance. “Every InvestRight customer has a relationship manager mapped to them. That makes a big difference when it comes to both trust and scam prevention. If a third party approaches them, their first instinct is to check with their RM,” Bekal explained.

The platform will be promoted primarily through television, especially business news channels. Its campaign goes live on October 7.

The third leg of the rollout is HDFC TRU. Given its audience, the brand’s campaign will be seen primarily on prime TV channels - where it can be watched by CEOs and CXOs for its global rather than India-only market coverage.

Perhaps the most unconventional of the campaigns is the company’s CSR initiative, which aims to educate consumers about investment-related frauds. Directed by filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari, the campaign takes the form of humorous storytelling rather than hard-hitting warnings.

“The focus is strictly on investment scams, like WhatsApp groups, guaranteed-return pitches and OTP frauds, not on broader digital or banking scams, which are addressed separately,” Bekal shared.

The CSR campaign will launch between October 11–14 across TV, digital, Hindi news channels, the HSM belt and select GECs. While the campaigns are designed to be pan-India, HDFC Securities also experiments with cohort-based activations. While tier 1 markets remain important, Bekal noted growing traction in tier 2 and tier 3 cities.

In total, the company will release four TVCs for Sky, three for InvestRight and one for Tru.

Bekal further noted that the marketing spends on these are “significantly lower than competition.”

“In fact, we’ve reduced spends by about 70% compared to last year. Our philosophy is the same as our brand promise: just as we guide consumers to invest responsibly, we want to spend responsibly. Unlike heavily funded startups, we cannot spray and pray. Being part of the larger HDFC group also allows us to optimise,” he said.

Bekal also outlined a sharp set of success parameters, spanning brand, business and marketing outcomes. “Our success metrics are clear. From a brand perspective, we want consumers to say: if I want to invest, I’ll go to HDFC for a clear recommendation. From a business perspective, it’s revenue. From a marketing perspective, it’s about quality customers who stay active, not just download counts,” he explained.

Together, these form the foundation of HDFC Securities’ attempt to differentiate itself in a crowded category.