Fincomm Imperatives 2017, the research-backed study from MSLGROUP India takes a comprehensive look at various trends, thoughts and ideas that can drive business opportunities for the BFSI industry in an upcoming digitally-democratic economy. The study highlights the role of communication, offering key trends to power the BFSI sector in India.
For more information, write to strategy@mslgroup.com | @MSLGROUP_India | Facebook.com/MSLGROUPIndia
3. FINCOMM IMPERATIVES 2017
CONTENTS
04
FOREWORD
05
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
06
ABOUT THE REPORT
07
WELCOME TO THE ERA OF
DIGITAL DEMOCRATISATION
09
DIGITAL DEMOCRATISATION
OF FINANCE
15
HOW THE NATURE OF
COMMUNICATIONS CHANGES
20
POWERING DIGITAL
DEMOCRATISATION OF
FINANCE THROUGH
COMMUNICATION
26
WAY FORWARD
4. 4
FOREWORD
If you had to narrate the 21st century story of human progress,
you will most likely talk about the progress we have made in
making products and services more accessible and affordable.
Personal and mobile computing, long-distance communications,
energy storage and air travel are just a few of the things that
have been democratised in the past decades, creating new
possibilities for billions of people.
And today, the financial services sector has primed for the same
technological transformation that has revolutionised many other
industries to usher in a democratic growth. The digitisation
of money, the rapid proliferation of internet access and mobile
phones have all created the perfect conditions to make it
easier to welcome the wave of digital democracy into financial
services.
This new vision for the banking and financial sector is also
likely to make way for a succinct understanding of evolving
lifestyles by streamlining how people connect to the things
they need or want. Democratisation of this sector will therefore
have to be powered by insight-driven communications to bring
adaptability. This will help organisations to be both - consumer
and shareholder-friendly – by re-imagining possibilities and
creating opportunities for real social change.
In this report, we take a comprehensive look at various trends,
thoughts and ideas that can drive business opportunities for the
Banking, Financial services and Insurance (BFSI) industry in an
upcoming digitally-democratic economy. This study culminates
observations of an informed audience, industry insights and
analysis with key communication trends to appraise the future
of the Indian BFSI in the face of rapid digital democratisation
of services. This paper therefore summarises how India’s BFSI
industry is being influenced by digital democratisation: the
factors driving the change in business, the evolution in customer
expectations, the specific opportunities and the massive role of
communication in the realisation of digitalisation’s full potential.
The future of the banking and finance industry is brought to
life through forward-looking scenarios to highlight how social
consumer attitudes, connectivity and technology are shaping
the potential of digital democracy in the sector. Insights learned
from a specially commissioned study of a closed group of the
country’s top think tanks from BFSI sector and from a range
of current research have been compiled to help form roadmaps
for the sector to transform their businesses with new levels of
services and powerful communications.
Amit Misra
CEO, MSLGROUP INDIA
5. FINCOMM IMPERATIVES 2017
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is taking hold in financial
services, characterised by a fusion of technologies that are
blurring the lines between the physical and digital. Advent of
such technologies and a booming millennial consumer base
is characteristically redefining the way consumers interact
with BFSI brands. These technologies have not just enabled
access of their services to larger groups of people, but made
it easier to be used more frequently ushering the era of digital
democratisation.
Demonetisation was one of the many exogenous factors that
fuelled the ongoing trend – of wider access and frequent usage.
Furthermore, it catalysed the upsurge of mobile wallets and
awareness of digital banking, which became near necessities
overnight. It gave more reasons to BFSI companies to integrate
digital ecosystems within their consumer interaction value
chain. On one end of this spectrum are the consumers who are
rapidly embracing digital platforms for utility – the bottom of the
smart pyramid, and on the other - are these companies eager to
innovate their digital interaction with them.
The expectations of consumers from financial service providers
have also magnified in this regard. Increasingly, it’s not just the
quality of service that matters, but whether the service providers
are able to pre-empt the requirement and address it quickly
over platforms, occasions and manners most favoured by their
audiences.
There is also evidently a direct linkage of this proactive
thinking of BFSI institutions with the trust they inspire in
their customers. As trust is one of the fundamental pillars
of reputation of financial institutions, it becomes crucial for
them to study their consumers’ preferences, and innovate their
engagement with them. And that may require willingness,
nimbleness, and consumer intelligence driven approaches to
replace traditional practices with disruptive ones. Therein lies a
tremendous opportunity for BFSI industry. This report presents
strategies and capabilities which will be crucial to harnessing
these opportunities.
6. 6
The survey was fielded by an independent research firm and employed
closed-group interactions among 50 CXOs from the Indian BFSI industry as
the study methodology. For the analyses, the report classifies the industry
into 3 key sectors – Banking (retail and corporate), Insurance (and other
investment instruments) and Others (transaction services etc.). This is done
to compartmentalise the communications issues by their causes, moving
parts and the nature of attention that must be given to them. These domains
ABOUT THE REPORT
The Survey Participants:
are clustered by homogeneity of consumers therein. Open and closed ended
questions in the research explore linkages between shifts in industrial and
consumer behaviour – extensively in the context of digital ecosystems.
These relationships are crucial to projecting the communications dynamics
of BFSI in the near future. Subsequently, we chart approaches and
capabilities with which BFSI brands must equip themselves.
20%
CXO level (CEO,
COO, CTO, CIO,
CMO)10%
Head of
technology /
IT
14%
Others
38%
Board level
18%
Head of
marketing /
communication
29%
Bank (national /
private /
scheduled /
co-operative)
4%
IT /
Consulting
4%
Private equity /
Investment bank
14%
Payment
services - Mobile
wallet / Fin tech
company
18%
Others
22%
Mutual Fund /
Alternate investment
funds
18%
Insurance
20%
Public
80%
Private
2/3rd
of the respondents
belong to the C-suite or
the board
Designation
2/3rd
of the respondents are
from the private sector
Sector
1/3rd
of the respondents are from
banking sector, followed by
insurance and mutual
funds/alternate investment
Industry
7. FINCOMM IMPERATIVES 2017
WELCOME TO THE ERA OF
DIGITAL DEMOCRATISATION
Over the last decade, BFSI has seen a tremendously dynamic
period of growth spurts and recessions. Much of this volatility
arose from increasing complexity of financial markets and the
instruments that float therein. Globally, the biggest goal of
product structuring has been to continuously understand and
respond to changing needs of financial services consumers. A
deeper look into the Indian context would reveal that a majority
of this product structuring need delved in providing the most
basic banking and investment needs, for the most part of this
decade. Lately, servicing the transaction needs appears to be
gaining prominence.
In India, though the percentage of internet penetration is far
low but, in absolute values the country shows some astounding
figures. Coupled with the growth rate that is largely propelled
on the back of a booming economy, the outlook is of a boom in
internet and technology enabled services.
India has shown a steady increase in the internet users from
2014 to 2017 with 1 billion projected internet users by the
end of 20211
. Isolating just the internet-enabled smartphone
users, a whopping 960 million is projected till 2021 end. The
government’s much touted Digital India Initiative is expected
to bring broadband connectivity to 2.5 lakh villages and aims
to achieve net zero imports by the year 20201
. Even tech giants
like Google, Microsoft and Facebook are building chief projects
to capitalise on Digital India Initiative. This is happening at the
time of increasing disposable incomes across tiers – which grew
at a CAGR of 10.3% over the last decade2
.
FINCOMM IMPERATIVES 2017
1 The annual FICCI-KPMG Indian Media and Entertainment Industry Report 2016
2 Trade Economics – Data on Personal Disposable Income 2007-2016
`
8. 8
But the more notable aspect that the demographic and
geographic dividend of India reveals is that of the narrowing
urban and rural divide – 69% of BFSI companies we spoke
to experience narrowing urban-rural divide of customer
expectations. Therein lies opportunities for financial sector
players to create differentiated strategies. While a chunk of
it would have to address the price sensitivity of the Indian
marketplace, a set of factors inherent to financial services will
play a significant role – reputation and trust.
Digital transformations are not only bringing the financial
services within the reach of all tiers, but are also redefining how
reputation and trust are built between the service provider and
the consumers. These ecosystems have brought the consumers
closer to the provider, and now the nature of accountability of
the latter has changed. In the subsequent sections, we study the
observable trends in the consumer behaviour online, and the
interface of the brand and the consumer.
90.5%
Developed
49.4%
World
40.9%
Developing
19.4%
Least Developed Country (LCDs)
Mobile
Broadband
Subscriptions (%)
Source: ICT Facts and Figures, International
Telecommunications Union, May 2016
81%
Developed
47%
World
40.1%
Developing
15.2%
Least Developed Country (LCDs)
Individuals Using
the Internet (%)
Source: ICT Facts and Figures, International
Telecommunications Union, May 2016
Semi urban and rural areas have gained confidence, new
customers are joining digital platforms, which is helping
increasing the business at the low cost
Ashish Nundy, Director,
DAYCO SECURITIES P LTD
9. FINCOMM IMPERATIVES 2017
DIGITAL DEMOCRATISATION
OF FINANCE
With digital democracy, India's relationship with money is
changing dramatically. Digital finance offers a transformational
solution, and one that could be implemented rapidly and without
the need for major investment of costly additional infrastructure.
This section highlights the enablers of this transformation.
FINCOMM IMPERATIVES 2017
10. 10
A. NEW DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSFORMATIONS
We are witnessing remarkable shifts in consumers’ behaviour towards
financial services that are enabled by digital transformations:
46%of affluent millennials
perform their own research
Involvement:
Globally about 46% of affluent millennials
perform their own research, make decisions,
and execute trades. Our studies too indicate
rising number of discerning customers of
financial services5
of consumers
own a mobile
phone
160 MN
Sale of
smartphones
90%
Reach:
While less than half the population may
have a bank account; over 90% of
consumers own a mobile phone. Sale of
smartphones in the country is likely to
touch 160 million units in financial year
2016-173
440 MNMillennials
390MNGen Z
Drivers:
440 million millennials and 390 million
Gen Z individuals constitute an unparalleled
demographic dividend, contributed
significantly from all tiers4
3 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Smartphone-sales-likely-to-touch-160-mn-units-in-FY17Assocham/articleshow/51527612.cms
4 Analysts Joshu Lu, Anita Yiu and Aditya Soman note in the report titled 'India Consumer Close-Up - http://bsmedia.business-standard.com/_media/bs/data/general-file-
upload/2016-06/060216_01.pdf
5 https://hootsuite.com/webinars/enterprise/how-millennials-changing-financial-services
11. FINCOMM IMPERATIVES 2017
Experimental:
Along with a high adoption of about 40%,
over 76% of global affluent millennials are
open to trying financial offerings from
non-financial brands. Indian millennials
demonstrate this trend in openness to
alternate, mobile payment methods6
Across the world, 70% of millennial
consumers prefer to interact with their bank
online. Several brands are already
responding to this trait by instating
grievance redressal systems through mobile
apps social media7
Affluent millennials are 2x more likely to
use social media to inform their financial
investments and decisions. This could lead
to an emergence of influences of peer
reviews on decisions made on investment
and financial service providers8
Social:
high adoption
40%
76%
global affluent
more likely
to use social
media
2x
Online:
millennial consumers
prefer to interact with
their bank online
7O%
6 https://www.aciworldwide.com/news-and-events/press-releases/2016/june/nearly-70-percent-of-indian-millennials-in-financial-technology-sector-purchase-goods-on-mobile#sthash.9UC4zeTJ.dpuf
7 Banking Customer 2020 - Accenture
8 https://hootsuite.com/webinars/enterprise/how-millennials-changing-financial-services
12. 1212
B. SURVIVAL OF THE NIMBLEST
Our study of the banking sector reveals the implications of these
observations – quick acknowledgement of these trends and readjustments
accordingly will be key differentiators. About 38% firmly believe that
there is a growing demand by consumers today for newer services, and
about 28% also stated that customers today demand instant responses.
This further establishes the fact that it is now the time to focus on
what the financial services industry can do best to capitalise on digital
democratisation: stimulate innovation, investment and productivity.
Evidently, better times lie ahead for the more adaptable players, who can
wade through the rising competition from fintech and start-ups and meet
customers where they want to be met: in the new digital environment.
The democratisation of finance and digital banking will force virtually all
players to fundamentally revise their business models or even define new
ones. Successful BFSI players will be characterized by the ones with strong
30%
25%
22%28%
38%
Trust on
institutions and
services providers
Demand
more
service
Create impact
Social media
presence
Increased
technology
knowledge and
access
Demand for
instant
response /
time saving
88%
Our customers
started to attach
high importance
to convenience
and response time
87%
Our customers'
expectations
have changed
drastically
75%
Our customers
have become
much more
discerning
13. FINCOMM IMPERATIVES 2017FINCOMM IMPERATIVES 2017
technological awareness, which can utilize the interplay of social media,
mobile IT, analytics and cloud computing intelligently for the creation of
their service offering.
Specifically, this digitally led innovation must manifest to improve services
deliveries. About 88% of the survey respondents say that in the last five
years, BFSI customers have attributed most importance to convenience and
response time. About 87% say their customers’ expectations have changed
drastically and 75% believe customers have become much more discerning.
Furthermore, its biggest driving force is believed to be a strengthening
of the fundamental ecosystem – an increasingly high penetration with
prominence of social platforms, not without significant government
intervention.
Consequently, many banking executives consider it a tactical priority
to devise the perfect customer experience—an experience that takes
advantage of digitisation to provide customers with cross-channel, targeted,
just-in-time product or service information in an effective and seamless way.
Presence on multiple networks Facebook, Twitter 84%
79%
77%
75%
75%
69%
67%
65%
58%
58%
High penetration of mobile internet and smartphones
Ownership of more than single device –smartphone, laptop,
tablet etc.
Direct connect with bank and elimination of middlemen
Increased knowledge and quest for information
Participation in sharing economy models like Uber, Oyo
Cost management/ optimisation – digitisation has introduced
the concept of e-branches. No need for physical offices
Increase in level of aggregators of services –loans, insurance
policies etc.
Reach to rural areas – helps last mile connectivity to cities in
which the financial institution has no physical presence
Promotion of digital services from Government
14. 14
C. BANKING 3.0
This is paving way for a remarkably newer way of banking in the years to
come. Bank 3.0 is set to bring a pioneering shift from a business-centric
financial model to a consumer-centric one, and in doing so completely
redefining the user experience. With the digital democratisation of finance,
the front office, at the point where customers interact with banks, there will
be a real-time awareness of changing needs and fully-customized services.
In the backend, banks will need to revamp their operational management
flow, and focus on integrating backstage platforms and resource sharing to
provide as powerful support to the critical front office as possible.
For banks to offer a fully customer-centric service, they will need to respond
to their consumers’ needs immediately. The race between challenger start-
ups and traditional banks will present the need to drive innovations in such
endeavours. Established banks with stronger fundamental infrastructures
of banking (security systems, established delivery channels, financial
expertise and experience in navigating the regulatory environment) will
find innovations on Digital Consumerism as the next major frontier. The
pertinent question is how these transformations will be realised.
15. FINCOMM IMPERATIVES 2017
HOW THE NATURE OF
COMMUNICATIONS CHANGES
In the preceding section, we articulated the noteworthy shifts
in consumer behaviour with respect to financial services, in
the context of digital ecosystems. In this section, we rely on
our studies to present how reputation managers in the banking
space must adequately respond to these changes. Capabilities
must be built which help make sense out of these changes and
address them through digital platforms.
FINCOMM IMPERATIVES 2017
16. 16
A. CONSUMER INTELLIGENCE:
AGGREGATING, ASSIMILATING AND
DEPLOYING
About 43% of the survey respondents state that with technological
advancements BFSI could improve their customer relationship services.
Clearly, data driven intelligence is driving improved understanding of
consumer demographics and markets, and more efficient and personalised
customer services. Noticeably, the banking and insurance sector cannot let
the Big Data prize pass them by.
Rapid integration of technology and life has created a proliferation of data,
presenting unprecedented opportunities to use advanced analytics to
leverage new information – about individual consumer preferences, pain
points, opportunities and risks. Moreover, big data analytics can help
integrate omni-channel platforms (in-store, online, mobile) – to ultimately
elevate the overall consumer experience and likelihood of loyalty.
However, about 50%9
of financial services executives cite ineffective
coordination of Big Data and analytics teams as the biggest challenge in
Big Data implementation. This is where a CDO (Chief Data Officer) sets
in. CDOs can help create a compelling vision of the role that Big Data can
play – not just in optimising customer experiences, but also in managing
reputation with customers and other stakeholders in the ecosystem.
In addition, they can be crucial in outlining checks and scope of data
governance.
9 https://www.capgemini-consulting.com/why-financial-services-firms-need-a-cdo
17. FINCOMM IMPERATIVES 2017
B. DISCOVER, DESIGN AND DELIVERY:
OPTIMISING DIGITAL CONSUMERISM
Digitally active consumers have embraced the internet, telecom, media,
and social space; changing the way they communicate, transact and
make purchase decisions, thus leading to the birth of an era of digital
consumerism. But, technology alone is not the point. What matters most
is the supercharged lifestyles of consumers – brands need to meet the
customers where they want to be met: in the new digital environment.
Because in the end, consumerism is still (and always will be) about people
and their fundamental needs and wants.
This is evident in the survey findings, as over 77% of respondents say
that Indian customers today take many of their services for granted, due to
the exposure to alternate service providers. About 88% also said that the
demand for personalised services has increased significantly. Moreover,
about 84% of respondents believe that Indian customers now give
importance to instant gratification when it comes to financial services.
18. 18
This trend hence transcends into transformations such as graduating apps
from simply a banking or insurance service boutique to offering lifestyle
solutions, solve social issues, increase knowhow, and ultimately make
individual and community life better. Digital consumerism can therefore
be leveraged to keep up with rapid technology cycles and improve their
multiplatform marketing efforts. BFSI players need to take a different
approach to managing the consumer decision journey—one that embraces
the speed that digitisation brings and focuses on capabilities in three areas:
• Discovery
apply advanced analytics to gain a 360-degree view of their customers.
• Design
craft a compelling customer experience where all the interactions are
expressly tailored to a customer’s stage in the decision journey.
• Delivery:
“always-on” marketing and communication programs.
While most banks in India offer mobile banking services, it needs to
focus on making applications more agile and accessible for users who do
not have stronger data connectivity
90%
Our customers have
started to attach high
importance to
convenience and
response time
84%
Our customers have
started to give
importance to instant
gratification when it
comes to financial
services
77%
Customers have
started to take several
services for granted
because of their
exposure to other
service providers
88%
Demand for
personalized services
has increased
significantly
19. FINCOMM IMPERATIVES 2017
C. INNOVATION
Digital platforms and technologies bring with them overabundance of
avenues to innovate at low investment of resources. Characteristically,
millennials are also relatively open to explore such innovations to see if
they have the capacity to enhance their productivity.
1. Mobile banking:
At the outset, financial institutions globally must be commended
for operationalising mobile provision of banking services as well as
integration of social 3rd
party tools. Kotak Mahindra Bank enabled
banking over Twitter via Hashtag Banking10
and Aditya Birla Finance
created a money management mobile application in India11
. DenizBank
effectively launched a ‘Facebook branch’ in Turkey, bringing banking
and social media together through an app12
. The Government of India
through their unified payment interface has propagated use of cashless
payments predominantly driven by mobile.
2. Predictive analytics:
With the wealth consumption data available to institutions about their
consumers, it is possible for them to pre-empt the need for certain kinds
of financial services or a change in style of availing an ongoing service.
In certain services industries, models are being tested of analytics
which can predict the onset of a crisis by detecting unusual spikes in
online consumer interactions.
3. Bots:
Application of bots in customer service, grievance redressal is being
extensively deployed, but their role in customer literacy is also being
explored. Content consumption can be optimised using bots, leading
to lower number of people dropping off from a brand’s engagement
activity. Financial institutions sceptical of 100% automation
are attempting a hybrid of human and machine driven redressal
infrastructure, exemplified by KLM Banks who are deploying similar
infrastructures into their customer service13
.
4. Wearable tech:
A natural extension of smartphone will be through their display and
interactive periphery. Although interaction is limited, the possibilities
are many. The UK financial institution Nationwide was the first
to offer internet banking access directly from the Android-based
smartwatches14
.
5. Security:
Another way of using tech as a competitive advantage for bankers is
improving security. RBS and NatWest have introduced a fingerprint
recognition technology to verify transactions in the UK15
. Also in UK,
Halifax bank has gone as far as testing the unique customers’ heartbeat
pattern as a security verification16
.
10 http://www.medianama.com/2015/01/223-kotak-bank-debuts-hashtag-banking-with-its-new-social-savings-account/
11 http://tech.firstpost.com/news-analysis/myuniverse-must-money-management-app-237464.html
12 http://www.denizbank.com/hakkimizda/_pdf/basin-bultenleri/2012/db-basinbulteni-facebook_24012012-en.pdf
13 https://www.siliconrepublic.com/machines/klm-machine-learning-digitalgenius
14 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/bank-accounts/11210474/Nationwide-offers-Android-Wear-wrist-watch-
for-bank-balance-checks.html
15 http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/saving/article-2962991/For-concerns-security-fingerprint-technology-not-problem-
finger-pulse-mobile-banking.html
16 http://www.wired.co.uk/article/halifax-ecg-logi
20. 20
POWERING DIGITAL DEMOCRATISATION OF
FINANCE THROUGH COMMUNICATION
Shifting customer expectations are forcing banks to look for
new sources of competitive differentiation and efficiency. Along
with digital democratisation and disruptive new services,
globally brands are now embracing communication and content
to connect with their new-age consumers in a new way. The
question is how can financial institutions breakthrough all the
chaos to connect with these inhabitants of digital democracies?
After analysing data, researching and talking to real people,
we have listed five areas of insights for reputation managers of
financial institutions
21. FINCOMM IMPERATIVES 2017
1. Digital-first brand communications:
About 88% of our survey respondents agree that performance on digital
platforms has become an essential element in brand building. So, a
‘digital-only brand’ approach is crucial to engage customers, given
that more digitally savvy millennial customer-base will expect it. In
addition to DenizBank, for instance, AirBank launched itself in the Czech
Republic as the “first bank you will like” and promised that all customer
communications would be jargon-free and all fees clearly outlined in one
simple document. This might require financial institutions to evolve at
a fundamental level; and embrace the need for digitally drive, quick and
simplified communications17
.
2. Communicating to capture
Micro-moments:
The consumer journey can be mapped into hundreds of real-time, intent-
driven micro-moments - each a critical opportunity to shape their decisions
and preferences. Google Think categorizes these scenarios as “I want”
or I need moments such as: I want to buy…, I need to learn…, I want
to know…, I need to go… and so on. In these fleeting moments which
are often on smartphones, customers are trying to circumvent traditional
methods of enquiries (log onto complex websites, talk with service people
or visit a branch office), and want to know something RIGHT NOW. 62% of
smartphone users are likely to act right away toward solving an unexpected
problem through smartphone18
. This means that financial institutions can
engage their customers at the moments when they make pivotal financial
decisions by leveraging contextual signals like location, time of day,
keywords etc. Data driven digital approaches are becoming more efficient
as data mining analyses methods evolve, implicating the need to start
sooner than later.
17 http://www.mckinsey.com/industries/financial-services/our-insights/building-a-digital-banking-business
18 https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/micromoments/intro.html
22. 22
3. C-Suite Conversations:
A whopping 80% of consumers globally say they are more likely to trust
a company with a CEO who is active on social media. About 78% of
employees would rather work for an organization helmed by a CEO who
leverages social media19
. In financial institutions where people trust
brands with their money, they expect to have a humanised connect with
the organisation. One CEO from this sector does a particularly good job of
humanising his organization: TD Ameritrade CEO Tim Hockey
(@TimHockey). With an active Twitter account and a LinkedIn presence,
Hockey’s witty humour reveals his personality and makes him relatable and
accessible to employees and investors alike. Essentially, direct and aptly
timed CxO communications can have the reach and impact that structured
social media approach cannot.
4. Thinking through Thought Leadership:
Firms across financial services are striving to use thought leadership to
set themselves apart. Few, however, are being targeted enough in their
content strategy, or bold and compelling enough in their point of view, and
leaving room for much of it to be taken online. Delivering forward-looking
perspectives into topics affecting customers’ prosperity can have powerful
results – it can cut through clutter and more effectively take advantage of
digital platforms. It can:
Drive sales ( cross selling) with
compelling ideas
Differentiate their offerings and
value proposition by educating
customers
Demonstrate that they understand
the preferences of their top
customers
Increase ROI by better leveraging
content
Make content consumption easier
Minimise cost of servicing by
educating customers
19 TheSocialCEO.org
23. FINCOMM IMPERATIVES 2017
Three Steps to Executing a Thought Leadership Program
Define a thought leadership
strategy that aligns with your
growth strategy
Strategize Monetize Productize
Publish thought leadership
assets that enable your
go-to-market process
Engage customers using
a mix of marketing, media
and sales channels
Three ways to integrate thought leadership in the financial services industry to boost success:
5. Content Marketing for the Millennials:
Credit Suisse has been publishing its own magazine, The Bulletin,
since 1895. While its inherent purpose may be the same - to strengthen
relationships with prospects and customers by building trust, its nature and
delivery is remarkably different to serve the millennial customer. Global top
players embraced digital content marketing, launched robust newsrooms
and filled their webpages with stories. ANZ hired a team of journalists to
publish deep market analysis; and Merrill Lynch built an entire publication
to help financial advisors take their game to the next level. Barclays
announced that its marketing department would function more like a
newsroom, delivering relevant content within 72 hours of conception.
Today, about 78% of global financial marketers use content marketing.
These marketers spend 18% on average of their total marketing budget on
content marketing, and 57% plan to increase their spend. But what remains
the key to a content marketing strategy is simplifying and personalizing
24. 24
Number of Content Pieces Avg Engagement Per Content
Podcast/Audio
73 2964
Infographic
133 271
Video
2533 311
Article
60059 221
Top Content Formats37
Number of Content Pieces Avg Engagement Per Content
Top Content Types38
Instructive
174
Listicle
Interview
109326
Guide
78410
Investigative
2171027
2125
2970 594
the experience for Millennials. This allows advisors to increase the
comfort level of millennial prospects, facilitating the digestion of complex
information20
.
It becomes even more crucial given that millennials seek greater
involvement in the financial decision-making process and doing their
own research, engaging with thought leadership and investigating peer
opinions.
20 Fifth annual content marketing survey - http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2015/08/finance-marketing-evolves-content
25. FINCOMM IMPERATIVES 2017
6. Tackling Reputation Risks
Embracing these approaches can be instrumental in tackling reputational
risks that are inherent to the financial sector
a. Risk with biometrics/unique identity: The juggernaut of the world’s
largest social security enrolment programme (UIDAI) hit a speed-bump
with reports of doubts on data integrity21
. At the time of publishing
this report, it was too soon to foresee if enrolments would get impacted
significantly in the long run. However, financial institutions as well as
reputation managers must be wary of the undercurrent of concerns of
identity theft and potential red flags getting raised.
b. Data integrity: Optimisation of user experience should not be seen
to be coming at the cost of integrity of consumer data. Data security
technologies and infrastructures have come a long way but are
debatably not full proof. Several Indian banks in 2016 faced hacking of
nearly 3.2 Million credit and debit cards between them22
.
c. Stability of financial markets: In a sector in which trust deficit
between large institutions and their customers is already inherent,
2008 financial crisis put a large dent. Despite recovery of banks and
economies, general sentiment has repaired more gradually. Therefore,
introduction of new financial instruments may face scrutiny.
21 http://www.livemint.com/Industry/IKgrYL5pg3eTgfaP253XKI/Aadhaar-data-breach-triggers-privacy-concerns.html
22 http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/banking/finance/banking/3-2-million-debit-cards-compromised-sbi-hdfc-bank-
icici-yes-bank-and-axis-worst-hit/articleshow/54945561.cms
26. 26
WAY FORWARD:
The future of India’s BFSI industry in the age of digital
democracy is being scripted with big data analysis combined
with psychometrics to sharpen artificial intelligence to provide
wealth management advice. But what we also see is customised
services which still need an offline approach provided by
human beings. Robots are not taking away our jobs yet. Yet
technological integration will deepen enough to render the term
‘internet finance’ redundant. Ten years from now, it will just be
finance.
And, to keep pace with all these, financial service firms can take
several different measures to prepare for these transformational
changes, such as building innovation labs, funding and
collaborating with start-ups, and moving to open finance
standards. By thoroughly and proactively studying consumer
behaviour, the finance sector can pre-empt and address
customer needs through education or innovation. Speed will be
one of the biggest factors.
27. FINCOMM IMPERATIVES 2017
INCLUDE:
Inclusivity is the next growth frontier for banking and
finance in a digitally democratic world. More than
two billion people in the world remain unbanked or
under-banked. This represents a lost opportunity.
Information technology, big data and mobile
penetration have changed everything. Statistically
put, digital finance — financial services delivered
via mobile phones, the internet or cards linked to a
digital payment system —is $700 billion opportunity
for India23
. It can bring an 11.8% increase in India’s
GDP by 2025 which could create up to 21 million new
jobs across all sectors in the country24
. The reach and
scalability necessary to service those at the bottom
of the pyramid is now not only economically possible
- but profitable. But by ignoring those neglected
by the financial system, banks leave room for tech
companies to make financial inclusion a viable and
sustainable business model. They’ve since innovated
alternative, more efficient systems to provide banking
and financial services at scale to the unbanked. So,
the need of the hour is to support this democratisation
and acquire new customers by enrolling them into the
system.
ENGAGE:
With multiple platforms and increased connectivity,
it is time for BFSI players to grow in their role of
being service providers to being financial partners.
To build trust, you must create conversations that
ensures customers’ belief of your genuine interest in
understanding their preferences, ability to cater to
them and willingness to reward them for their loyalty.
These conversations can serve to educate customers
on the value that different offerings create (and not
just features). And that is what transcends into digital
brand building, social media conversations and
content marketing in a digitally democratic set up.
EMPOWER:
Although mobile devices are now nearly universally
available, we still need to close infrastructure gaps in
remote and underdeveloped regions where people still
lack access to communications networks. They will
also need to support efforts to provide everyone with
a reliable digital ID to use for financial transactions.
Working through all the technical, economic and
regulatory barriers to make this all possible will
require clarity of purpose and an unusual degree of
public and private collaboration across the financial
and business sectors. But it can be done — and the
effort will be worth it.
The roadmap to this future can hence be built on these three principles
23 http://indianexpress.com/article/business/companies/digital-finance-is-700-billion-opportunity-for-india-3048673/
24 McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) report ‘Digital finance for all: Powering inclusive growth in emerging economies'