Yes Bank prefers in-house content creators over external agencies

Brands should create content in-house rather than relying on external creators for quality output as nobody else can understand its ethos better than the brand’s marketer, says Amit Shah, Head of Corporate Strategy, Marketing and Communications.

In a conversation with BuzzInContent, Shah said, “There are lazy marketers who believe an agency can do anything for them. But nobody can better understand your brand ethos and priorities as you can. Most CMOs will agree they need to have very strong content and an in-house editorial team and rely on agencies more for execution and support.”

He said staying true to one’s brand is of utmost importance. What stands true to one brand doesn’t mean it can be applied to another. “People may read ‘10 best ways to create viral effect’ and ‘Best ways to engage your customer to content’. Honestly, beyond a point, it doesn’t work. One needs to be true to his brand. What works for FMCG and travel and tourism companies might not work for some other category,” said Shah.

The bank is currently working with ‘The Better India’ for its ‘Natural Capital Awards’ initiative. Commenting on the reason for associating with The Better India, Shah said, “The Better India ethos resonates with ‘Natural Capital Awards’ initiative of ours. We have honestly stayed away from something that may have a viral effect but doesn’t gel well with our brand. So we don't want to do anything that is too Bollywood, a roast format or something that can be controversial. It is very easy to tag along with slapstick kind of content, but we stayed away from that.”

Yes Bank also avoids doing brand placements in films or larger content offered by others as it doesn’t have the authority on the content quality that is being produced by others. He said, “We have no control on what the storyline will be or how the public will conceive it first. As much as possible, we create content in-house and then we go out and search for a partner. I won’t go to a content creator and ask them what are the six things they are doing in the last six months and can I associate my brand with it.”

As part of the bank’s content initiatives, CFO Insights is a quarterly publication of Yes Bank and Yes Institute, a knowledge-driven think tank of the Bank. The magazine consists of thought leadership articles and features on a range of issues related to business, economy, finance and public policy, and interviews of the country’s top business leaders.