neeraj The Incred-ible Playbook 123

Q] InCred’s 50% revenue growth is extremely impressive. How has marketing contributed to this, and which channels or strategies have delivered the strongest results?
I’d say strong business performance comes from multiple factors. We run a tight ship across departments, and that’s what drives results. There’s also a strong focus on risk, so it wouldn’t be fair to credit marketing alone. At InCred Finance, our business is largely driven through channel partners, including our distribution network and direct sales agents. Our marketing strategies are tailored to appeal to them, focused on channel engagement, effective communication, in-branch visibility, and building brand recall. As a diversified NBFC with education, personal, and MSME loans, the needs of each customer segment are very different. From a marketing standpoint, it’s important to align deliverables accordingly and also ensure we stand out in a competitive ecosystem.

Q] With the IPO approaching, has the brand messaging evolved to also speak to investors, or does the focus still remain on your core customer base?
I’ve always believed that as marketers, we have to speak to all stakeholders. And when I say stakeholders, I mean not just customers, but also employees, industry peers, partners and investors. Even from a marketing standpoint, all the brand initiatives and communications we work on are always with the intention of staying connected with all of them. That’s what makes what we do so exciting, because this kind of consistent engagement with every stakeholder isn’t something that can be built overnight.

Q] Shreyas Iyer was featured in a recent campaign. What was the thought behind choosing him, and what kind of impact have you seen, brand awareness or engagement?
Sports has always been a big part of our brand DNA since day one. In fact, we had some big shoes to fill with the legendary Rahul Dravid, our first brand ambassador at InCred. Shreyas Iyer turned out to be a very natural choice, especially given his current form. When he’s on the pitch, he brings a fearless mindset, unwavering determination, and is a solid team player. All of this complements our brand ethos really well. The core emotion we stand for is confidence. Our tagline is ‘Borrow with Confidence’, and Shreyas’s persona aligns perfectly with that. He embodies the spirit of enabling people to move forward fearlessly, just like we aim to do for our customers as they pursue their financial goals.

Q] Financial services often rely on logic and trust, but you’ve also tapped into emotional storytelling. How do you strike that balance between brand-building and performance marketing?
Storytelling has gained a lot of importance recently, and influencers have really helped shift our perspective on it. In fact, it’s even more relevant in finance, which is otherwise considered a dry and complex subject. Most people feel overwhelmed by the terminology and concepts. So, it becomes essential to use storytelling to humanise finance and highlight its softer side. At InCred Finance, whenever we lend money to a customer, we’re ultimately helping them achieve a life goal or facilitate a significant life event. We try to bring out these stories through video testimonials or slice-of-life content on social media. The kind of engagement this content receives is incredible, and it only reinforces our belief in continuing this approach. Our campaign ‘Ask InCred’ is a great example of how we’re integrating emotional storytelling into brand building, while still supporting performance goals.