BACKGROUND

In 2021-2022, 42% of Indians fell victim to fraud. A loss of USD 7.34 Billion. 

Generic PSAs from banks were proving ineffective. With 44% of fraud victims being active social media users, HDFC Bank decided to ‘influence’ the country for the greater good. 

Fraud prevention and protection campaigns have been done a dime a dozen, but with fraudsters changing their modus operandi frequently, none are impactful as they give the generic advice of not sharing OTP, which is just not enough. 

Also, people don't believe that they can be conned and so they tend to fall prey to frauds. 

INSIGHT

Fraudsters target the digitally adept youth, but mainly the less tech-savvy elderly population. So how do we reach out to them and share information with both these audiences to make sure that they stay safe?

We created the first-ever anti-fraud influencer! 

CREATIVE IDEA

A character with great recall and an entertainment quotient. Since aunties in India are known to be exactly that, our vigilante became Vigil Aunty! 

Vigil Aunty is the first-ever anti-fraud influencer, educating audiences through engaging content on latest tactics used by fraudsters, and empowers them to stay safe, always. 

To make her a pop-culture icon, we crafted an origin story - an ordinary woman from southern India, frustrated with the growing frauds in the country, decided to become a saviour against financial frauds for the nation. She uses her superpower - uncontrollable hiccups when in the vicinity of someone getting scammed, for the greater good. 

Vigil Aunty is a walking encyclopaedia of the latest frauds, too cool to miss out on latest trends and hijacks pop culture moments. With her quirky sense of humour, Vigil Aunty was born to appeal to everyone. 

No vigilante influencer is complete without a memorable signoff so… 

“Stay Safe. Stay Vigil!”

EXECUTION

Vigil Aunty was omnipresent. From social platforms, WhatsApp, ATM kiosks, to movie theatres, and national newspapers. She constantly and frequently delivered the latest updates on frauds and how to be vigilant (prevent them).

To make Vigil Aunty a pop-culture icon, she needed an origin story. 

LAUNCH 

At the movies through a QR code that offered free popcorn, Vigil Aunty ‘pop-conned’ audiences to teach the consequences of scanning random QR codes. 

Following Indian Independence Day, from the front page of all major national newspapers, Vigil Aunty asked people to join the movement to get freedom from frauds, by following her on social platforms and WhatsApp. 

EDUCATE & ENTERTAIN 

Vigil Aunty's always-on communication 'Stay Vigil' involved using social platforms to educate (while entertaining) audiences with various content formats. 

1) A celebrity talk show, ‘What The Fraud’ to showcase that even the best of the best can be conned. 

2) Her 'Fraud Patrol' series dissected a new fraud incident weekly 

3) Collaboration with popular influencers and latest trends 

ALL DAY EVERYDAY 

Realizing one may still need continuous assistance, we introduced a 24X7 Vigil Aunty WhatsApp Chatbot.

RESULTS

Vigil Aunty became extremely popular on social media. From GenX to GenZ, she was recognized by everyone as an anti-fraud influencer. 

She amassed 2.2 Million followers across platforms. Her content garnered 217 Million video views, a reach of 157 Million, and an overall engagement rate of 22%. 

Vigil Aunty's 24x7 WhatsApp chatbot had a userbase of 146 Thousand and saw more than a million interactions. 

Vigil Aunty helped increase positive brand sentiment by 26% for HDFC Bank. 

Beyond winning the hearts of all, Vigil Aunty set the benchmark for competitor brands when it came to PSA campaigns. And, even inspired spoofs of Vigil Aunty, making her a true pop-culture icon.