My Account Starts Today

HSBC India unveiled its latest advertising campaign featuring their new brand influencer, ace cricketer Virat Kohli. The campaign conceptualized by Wunderman Thompson’s group company Contract Advertising, highlights HSBC's purpose of "Opening up a world of opportunity" as it works to support the goals of an aspirational India going global and features Virat in a never-before-seen avatar. Virat was recently announced as the brand influencer for HSBC India, in an association that aimed at leveraging the ace cricketer’s appeal to help illustrate the benefits of banking with HSBC.

The campaign will run across print, television, outdoor, OTT platforms and digital media to connect with the target audience.

The campaign reveals a side of Virat's personality that has never been seen before. The brand has successfully evoked nostalgia in this most recent TV commercial, which begins with a shot of a cricket stadium and shows Virat's name on a billboard beneath a prestigious list of batsmen before abruptly starting to fade away. At a press conference where Virat's presence is shown fading over time - a trophy cabinet on the wall, newspapers, YouTube channels, and a dressing room wall all follow a similar pattern to the Honours Board. Finally, a close-up of his face can be seen on the screen as he puts on his helmet and stands in front of the red door to his dressing room.

Virat is seen telling millions of viewers in the final moments of the advertisement to forget about all his accomplishments and his cricketing past and instead to concentrate on the new opportunities and the persona he is about to assume. When the door finally opens, he exits into an energetic stadium. The open red door changes into the HSBC logo with the powerful tagline "My Account Starts Today" as he moves away from the camera.