Ujjivan ropes in DDB Mudra Group for its small finance bank launch

In a move to build a powerful small finance bank brand, Ujjivan Financial Services announced that DDB Mudra Group has won the mandate to be its integrated communications Agency of Choice to work on the transition to becoming a small finance bank. The win follows a highly competitive multi-agency pitch.

The account will be managed from the agency’s Bengaluru office and will be spearheaded by Sujay Ghosh, Executive Vice President & Business Partner, DDB Mudra South and East.

Taking full cognizance of the brand and marketing challenges in this competitive space, Ujjivan is now continuously building the railroads for developing a powerful 360-degree communication campaign for its launch, which will span multimedia efforts.

Speaking on this development, Vijay Balakrishnan, Chief Marketing Officer, Ujjivan Financial Services, said, “After a very intense and hard fought competitive pitch lasting over two months, which saw India’s finest advertising agencies vying for the account, we are absolutely thrilled to have DDB Mudra on board as our integrated communications partner.”

He further said, “DDB Mudra’s granular understanding of the category during their pitch and strategy presentations, their innovative approach to category creation combined with a highly committed leadership team and deep understanding of financial inclusion and social values is reassuring. We are confident they will ably partner us to launch the small finance bank.”

“DDB Mudra’s past track record of creating powerful Indian brands from scratch and their powerful Integrated Advertising & Marketing Services offerings, coupled with DDB’s global brand building repertoire will help Ujjivan create a distinct and stand out brand identity in the competitive SFB space,” Balakrishnan added.

Commenting on the win, Madhukar Kamath, Group CEO & MD, DDB Mudra Group, said, “The Ujjivan Financial Services pitch process was perfect. Not just exciting, but professionally conducted. The interaction with Samit Ghosh and his leadership team were truly insightful and educational. My colleagues and I, are truly excited. The partnership will be one to cherish.”

Ranji Cherian, President, DDB Mudra South and East, added here, “We are extremely privileged to be chosen by Ujjivan Financial Services as their integrated communications partner. To us this is both exciting & challenging. We will leverage all our strengths as a Group to build a dominant position for the brand in the marketplace. We look forward to working closely as a team.”

Ujjivan Financial Services is amongst India’s leading microfinance institutions (MFI) and also amongst the first few MFIs in the country to design and operate urban microfinance programmes. The agency will be offering its creative, media, digital and events-activation services to the brand and will play an instrumental role in Ujjivan’s transformation to a small finance bank.

Ujjivan started operations in Bengaluru in 2005 and serves over 32.79 lakh active customers through 469 branches and 8,258 employees spread across 209 districts and 24 states in India, making it the largest MFI in terms of geographical spread.

It also undertakes robust financial literacy programme and community development & disaster relief programmes for customers in collaboration with a non-profit organisation Parinaam Foundation.