From confusion to clarity: How HDFC Sky is teaching Gen Z to invest smarter

HDFC Securities is sharpening its play in India’s competitive discount broking market through a series of campaigns designed to spotlight research as its key differentiating factor. Central to this initiative is HDFC Sky, a do-it-yourself investment app that the company says blends the simplicity of discount broking with the depth of research typically reserved for premium clients.

“We are launching four power-packed campaigns this season—starting with HDFC Sky, followed by InvestRight, our revamped legacy app, HDFC Tru for ultra-HNIs, and a CSR initiative to raise awareness about frauds in investing,” says Puneeth Bekal, EVP & CMO of HDFC Securities. He was addressing a media roundtable in Mumbai.

Research as the differentiator

Unlike its competitors, such as Zerodha and Angel One, Bekal contends that HDFC Sky provides not only execution services but also valuable guidance to investors. 

“Post-Covid, investing has become a delectable conversation for young Indians. But nine out of ten traders lose money because there’s no guided research,” he adds. 

A recent study by SEBI has revealed that retail equity derivatives traders experience average annual losses exceeding Rs 1.1 lakh.

Backed by a 25-year-old research team, HDFC Sky offers free stock recommendations, sector heatmaps, fund suggestions based on risk profiles, and even “pick of the week” calls delivered in snackable formats such as WhatsApp updates and Instagram-style stories. 

“We’ve tried to make research not just robust but also easy to consume,” Bekal adds.

Differentiated offerings

Bekal positions HDFC Sky as an app designed specifically for Gen Z and millennial users aged 18–35 who favour self-directed investing, complemented by in-app assistance. 

By contrast, HDFC Securities' other app, InvestRight caters to older, time-poor investors with relationship managers mapped to each account. The third offering, HDFC Tru, is a bespoke wealth advisory service for the top 30,000 ultra-HNI families in India.

With a total of 2.2 million active users, which is among the ‘highest activation rates in the industry’, Bekal says investors are responding positively.

“We assess active users rather than merely counting downloads, as it is possible to have numerous apps on your phone without actually using them. Our emphasis is on engagement; users are actively transacting within the app, responding to the research provided, and confirming the validity of our proposition.” 

Campaign roadmap

The brand’s marketing push began September 29 with a digital-first campaign for HDFC Sky, which will be followed by television spots from October 9 onwards.

InvestRight will go live on October 7, while a CSR campaign is slated for mid-October across TV, digital, Hindi news channels, and select GECs.

Unlike traditional cautionary CSR ads, Bekal says the fraud awareness campaign will be “entertaining yet impactful”, reflecting how even seasoned investors are falling prey to sophisticated scams.

The Sky TVCs, developed by creative and content agency Steve Priya (Steve Mathias & Priya Pardiwalla), highlight diversification, risk management, and features such as stop-loss and GTT orders. ‘The idea is to make responsible investing cool, accessible, and guided,’ Bekal explains.

Beyond ads: Money Fest, Reddit and a new influencer play

While the campaigns are not actually festive-themed, Bekal reveals that HDFC Sky hosts an in-app feature called Money Fest during Dussehra and Muhurat trading. This section offers curated sectoral investment ideas and includes podcasts featuring in-house researchers to assist seasonal traders.

To promote the education-first positioning, the brand is also experimenting with Reddit AMAs (Ask the Expert), where HDFC Securities’ research team will directly answer queries from users. 

"Gen Zs and millennials trust Reddit because of the quality of responses. We want to keep it authentic—so answers come only from our research experts, not generic voices,” Bekal says.

Interestingly, the company has chosen to reimagine its influencer strategy. Instead of relying on financial influencers to promote the app, HDFC Securities is leveraging them to interview its research analysts. 

“We are tapping into influencers for their reach, not their recommendations. The content and guidance will come from our experts, ensuring credibility while still reaching the right audiences,” Bekal explains.

Media mix and activations

The media plan includes connected TV, mobile platforms, Fortune, Meta, Moneycontrol, GameSpot, and other channels. 

Bekal also hints at quirky activations, including a “Snakes & Ladders”-style experiential campaign that draws parallels between research-led investing (ladders) and impulsive, unverified decisions (snakes).

“We want to make investing not only responsible but also engaging. The more consumers see research as an enabler, the less likely they are to fall into avoidable traps,” he says.

CSR with a twist: tackling scams through humour

One of the most unconventional campaigns that HDFC Securities is set to launch is its CSR initiative focused on investment fraud, which is being led by filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari.

Instead of fear-driven messaging, the films lean on humorous storytelling to spotlight WhatsApp group tips, guaranteed-return pitches, and OTP scams.

“The focus is strictly on investment scams, not broader digital or banking frauds,” Bekal clarifies. The campaign will be launched between October 11 and 14 across TV, digital, Hindi news channels, the HSM belt and select GECs.

Responsible marketing, Tier-2 traction

While the campaigns are pan-India in scale, HDFC Securities is also experimenting with cohort-based activations, with Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities seeing growing traction.

Bekal points out that the company has reduced marketing spending by 70% compared to last year. “Our philosophy mirrors our brand promise: just as we guide consumers to invest responsibly, we want to spend responsibly. Unlike heavily funded startups, we cannot spray and pray,” he says.

According to the team, the focus last year was on improving the quality of products and key offerings, which led to the reduced spends. Now that these improvements are in place, the company plans to gradually increase its marketing investments.