Fibe, previously known as EarlySalary constantly struggled with people mispronouncing the brand's name. To overcome this challenge, the brand launched a humorous tongue-twister social media campaign and offered winners Rs. 50,000. Through the elaborate UGC campaign, the brand generated 15.3M+ reach. Here's a case study on how the brand did it.
Category Introduction
With 65% of the population being under 35, India has the world's largest workforce. With the cost of living being the major concern among Gen Z and millennials, 62% of Indian Gen Zs are taking on side jobs, in addition to their primary job. Besides, the young generation is also concerned about unemployment and hence is constantly looking at upskilling and reskilling courses.
More than 160 million Indians are credit underserved or New to Credit (NTC) and a fourth of India’s adult population (under 30 years) lacks sufficient credit history. This segment often lacks access to credit, with traditional lenders wary of lending to early jobbers, especially in the post-pandemic world. Credit penetration in the working population of 400 million in India is only 8% and there are only about 3 credit cards for every 100 people in India.
Brand Introduction
Fibe was created with the vision to help the youth of India transverse the uncertainties of life confidently and has been able to serve customers who are NTC as well as younger professionals - a huge segment of consumers who are largely underserved.
The brand has cultivated a portfolio of cutting-edge FinTech solutions that encompass everything from short-term cash loans and salary advances to long-term personal loans. Further, Fibe expanded its offerings to include Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services, spanning diverse sectors such as Edtech, Healthtech, Insurance, and Lifestyle.
Summary
In September 2022, EarlySalary rebranded itself as Fibe given that the company expanded its suite of offerings to Instant Cash Loans, BNPL facilities across Edtech, Healthcare and Consumer tech in addition to Salary advance loans.
Since the rebranding, Fibe has been repeatedly faced with the challenge of people not getting its name right or mispronouncing it as ‘Fibs’ or ‘Fibeys’. This led to the company launching an innovative social media campaign by introducing the unique role of a ‘Chief Pronunciation Officer’ (CPO). Intending to establish the correct pronunciation of 'Fibe' among audiences, the company invited applicants to post videos or audio to not only get the brand name right but also add their creative spin to the tongue twister. Fibe collaborated with the comedian Josè Covaco, whose name is often mispronounced.
As part of the campaign, individuals from all walks of life were invited to participate in a tongue-twisting challenge, saying "Fibe felao, Vibe felao" ten times in a row without fumbling or pausing. Fibe rewarded the winners with INR 50,000 for mastering the tongue-twister challenge.
Objective
The primary goal of the Chief Pronunciation Officer (CPO) campaign was to address the prevalent issue of mispronunciation of Fibe’s brand name by customers, lenders, and channel partners.
Brief
Initial rounds of conversations were to attach this idea with a rap artist and let it flow online organically but that would not meet the goal of people being able to pronounce the brand name correctly.
Addressing Febe, Fib, Feebee etc. called for the idea to be extended to the public and hence it gave birth to a user-generated content challenge. The campaign aimed to transform this challenge into an enjoyable and memorable experience, enhancing brand recognition and establishing the correct pronunciation in the minds of its stakeholders.
Creative Idea
Mispronunciations often plague the journey of brands, and Fibe, India’s leading Fintech decided to embrace this challenge with humour and innovation. Fibe aimed to create a UGC contest to qualify for the most rewarding, first-of-its-kind position of Chief Pronunciation Officer! Fibe engaged with individuals by setting up a job application, taking inspiration from LinkedIn for the position of Chief Pronunciation Officer (CPO).
Challenges
The campaign was on the lookout for someone who could be the ideal person to hire as the CPO. The thought was to use someone famous who has a similar problem with his/her name being pronounced & hence comedian and TV artist Jose Covaco felt like the right fit. A large number of people mispronounce his name, always. Instead of ‘H’ they pronounce his name with a ‘J’ and sometimes also end up calling him Joshi Ji. Hence, this issue faced by him served as directly related to the brand's objective.
With a limited media approach, Fibe wanted the campaign to have interactive components, such as contests and challenges for the audience to create their own flavour of videos/reels for the tongue twister "Fibe Felao Vibe Felao", sharing them across social media.
Fibe was also looking at user-generated content, fostering increased brand engagement and expanding the brand’s reach.
Execution
Job posting on LinkedIn:
Fibe introduced the unique role of a ‘Chief Pronunciation Officer’ (CPO). The campaign visuals and design language took inspiration from LinkedIn, and it invited individuals to participate in a tongue-twisting challenge, saying "Fibe felao, Vibe felao" ten times in a row without fumbling or pausing.
The brand adopted a light-hearted and humorous tone wherein individuals had to submit their entries and join Fibe’s team alongside the CXO. The brand also set a reward of INR 50,000 for mastering the tongue-twister challenge. The chosen CPO would then become a guardian of the #PaiseWaliVibe, earning not only the prestigious title but also the rewarding prize.
Some candidates did misinterpret the invitation and sent in their resumes. In response, Fibe’s team shared a humorous recorded video with them to participate, breaking the ice and making the interaction more engaging. This encouraged user-generated content, fostering increased brand engagement, and expanding Fibe’s reach.
Collaboration with comedian/ TV artist:
Fibe collaborated with the well-known comedian Josè Covaco, whose name is often mispronounced. The brand chose to collaborate with him to emphasize the importance of correct pronunciation in an entertaining manner, without hurting the sentiments of customers.
Two winners were chosen at the end of the campaign.
Results
Fibe’s campaign received a total of 1,100+ inquiries, 1000+ job applications on LinkedIn and 300+ video submissions. With minimal marketing spends, Fibe’s campaign was able to garner a reach of more than 15.3M.
The campaign was followed by 75% of Fibe’s existing customers, with 37% audience sharing the campaign with their family and friends.
Social media proved highly effective in driving engagement and participation in the campaign, generating a significant response from a diverse audience.
Sudesh Shetty, Founding Member and Director of Marketing of Fibe -- “We believe that humour and creativity can transform challenges into opportunities. Fibe’s CPO Campaign was not merely about pronouncing the brand name correctly but fostering a positive and dynamic vibe. The response we've received is a testament to the power of innovation and the #PaiseWaliVibe that we stand for.”
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