Financial affordability has been the one formula Indian marketing of Bharat Financial has used for decades. The “easy EMI” tune has dominated bank, NBFC, and fintech campaigns. The pitch is simply buy now, pay later. While this model suited metropolitans in the last decade’s consumption boom, it now feels passé, especially when framed in the context of Bharat – India’s small cities, towns, and semi-urban places where its next growth narrative is playing out.
Here’s the thing: people beyond metros don’t merely desire affordability. They aspire to progress. They dream of finance that allows them to grow, not just service payments. If brands hope to be relevant in India, they need to reshape their messaging from bridging statements to inspiring stories. The Limits of EMI-Centric Messaging
The Limits of EMI-Centric Messaging
The arrival of EMI-based advertisement was important in making finance affordable. A washing machine, a bicycle, or a mobile phone no longer felt out of one’s reach. But the unforeseen consequence is that finance has been reduced, in people’s minds, to a flow of monthly burdens.
In towns, where earning streams are steadier and aspirations more worldly, the model still has buyers. But in Bharat, the connection is different. Most see EMIs as less enablers and more burdens. The relentless pounding of “pay later” messaging has caused tiredness. Affordability is no longer the whole story.
Bharat’s Aspirations Are Different
Bharat’s Aspirations Are Different Enter a Tier-2 or Tier-3 town and the money conversation is different. Money in this place is not simply consumerism. It’s about advancement, movement, and safety.
For example, a farmer buying a tractor, for him, the transaction isn’t about installment ease. It is about improved output, being dignified, and taking care of generations to come. Similarly, a young professional in Bhopal may wish to have a credit card not to delay payments, but in order to gain respect and economic empowerment. These are subtle but significant differences.
They indicate that income here is less about consumption and more about nobility and bringing the future into being. Advertising that cannot appreciate this subtlety may sound tone-deaf.
What Aspirational Messaging Is
What Aspirational Messaging Is If the goal is to resonate with Bharat, BFSI narrative needs to move away from product-based pushes and lean more towards human narratives.
A couple of examples: Micro-loans and empowerment: Highlighting one such local entrepreneur who builds her business using credit, not just because she could pay EMIs, but because she built something sustainable.
Insurance as care: Positioning insurance not as a checkbox, but as a choice to provide for loved ones — a demonstration of responsibility and foresight.
Savings as pride: Portraying savings behavior as something to be proud of in the community, and not as a dull financial vehicle.
The implied message is the same: show finance as a partner to upward mobility, not as a chain of repayment.
The Cultural Layer
The Cultural Layer Culture and language have a greater role to play in Bharat compared to metros. An English-biased campaign for economic independence can succeed in Delhi or Bangalore but fail in Lucknow or Nashik.
Campaigns that are built around local idioms, cultural aspirations, and local language speak to people more. A message in the rhythm of a community’s daily life speaks as personal, not artificial. For BFSI players, this means being more sensitive to culture than slavishly borrowing metro-first copy.
The Road Ahead
Moving Beyond Transactional Marketing Financial marketing is always at risk of falling into the “what” — product features, installment cost, rate of interest. But Bharat craves the “why.” Why is this financial product significant to their lives? What aspiration or milestone does it help them achieve? Brands that frame finance as a way towards independence, progress, or security are able to build stronger emotional connect. This builds trust as well, which remains the solitary most significant aspect in financial decisions across Bharat.
The Road Ahead India’s banking and finance sector is entering a stage of growth when metros will no longer be driving growth but Bharat. To succeed, BFSI messaging needs to catch up along with it. It means a transition from affordability to aspiration, from EMIs to empowerment. When finance is positioned as an enabler of dreams and dignity rather than a repayment plan, it ceases to be a product and a progress partner. And for the millions of Indians beyond the metros, that is the story they want to be told.
About the Author
Abbhinav R Jain is the Co-founder & CFO, AdCounty Media. He plays a pivotal role in shaping AdCounty Media’s financial strategy and operational excellence. As Co-founder and Chief Financial Officer, Abbhinav oversees the execution of high-performing marketing campaigns while ensuring competent client servicing and sustainable growth.