PhonePe puts catchy phrases on tailgates of trucks to promote its motor insurance products

Truck art, often known as Phool Patti in Hindi and Urdu, has traditionally been a popular art form in India and other parts of South Asia. The trucks are fondly decorated by their drivers, who spend their days and nights driving them through the length and breadth of the country.

Trucks in India often have a beautiful display of interesting slogans, decorative articles and countless convoluted symbols. They are also a melting pot of the influences of different cultures, usually with a melange of colour schemes, fonts and symbols on display.

Leading digital payments platform PhonePe has executed a truck art campaign on highways in Maharashtra, covering Pune, Nashik and Mumbai. With this campaign, PhonePe is promoting its two- and four-wheeler insurance products, through catchy phrases on art canvases put up on truck tailgates. The campaign aims to engage with the target audience on highways in the A&B categories, as per New Consumer Classification System (NCCS), who are in the age group of 22-40 years.

PhonePe discovered something unique that triggered the idea of promoting insurance products behind trucks.

“We were surprised to stumble upon an interesting insight. In the decades gone by, trucks often used to have images of demons to ward off evil. We spoke to a few veteran truck drivers and truck art experts, who said that drivers used to believe that these images of demons protect them from untoward incidents on the road. When insurance for trucks wasn’t well understood or adopted, this provided mental assurance and 'insurance' of sorts to drivers,” said Ramesh Srinivasan, director brand marketing, PhonePe.

As a result, PhonePe decided to experiment with truck art as a medium to build awareness and preference for its motor insurance products.

“We believe that trucks are a great medium to educate consumers about the importance of two- and four-wheeler insurance, as the use for insurance is felt the most when one is driving on the road. We believe that this campaign will be very contextual and seamlessly extend itself on the back of these trucks, which can be easily noticed by drivers of two- and four-wheelers…,” added Srinivasan.

In India, most insurance companies choose traditional mediums such as print, TV and outdoor for advertising. PhonePe is using quirky idioms that people love to read, while driving on the highways. The campaign attempts to bring to life a forgotten art form and hopes to encourage other brands to consider this medium in their future communication.