Axis Bank's consumer trust significantly increased due to their focus on cultural aspects in their strategies
In a bid to enhance consumer trust and combat digital scams in India, Axis Bank, in partnership with Grey India, launched the 'Devanagari PIN' campaign on July 23, 2025. This innovative initiative, recognised at the ET Shark Awards 2025, won Axis Bank the 'Disruptive Brand of the Year' award.
The campaign focused on rethinking the process of banking PIN generation. It capitalised on the widespread familiarity with the Devanagari script, a cultural asset, and transformed it into a technological solution for PIN security.
The strategy behind the 'Devanagari PIN' campaign was rooted in a 'culture-first' approach, as emphasised by Harsh Kapadia, Chief Creative Officer at Grey India. This approach aimed to drive brand growth while delivering meaningful value to consumers.
The campaign addressed the issue of predictable PINs by embedding digits within the design of the Devanagari script. This innovative solution created an intuitive yet secure method for PIN generation, fostering consumer trust and engagement.
The 'Devanagari PIN' campaign was part of a series of fintech campaigns in India, demonstrating Axis Bank's commitment to digital security. The campaign received significant recognition, including the Disruptive Brand of the Year (Silver) at the ET Shark Awards 2025.
For those interested in staying updated on the latest industry news, Axis Bank's website offers a newsletter subscription, a mobile app for smartphones, and real-time updates. The website caters to over 2 million industry professionals, providing insights and analysis in its newsletter and covering various aspects of the industry. The app also allows users to save their favourite articles.
In conclusion, Grey India's strategy combined deep cultural insight with technological innovation, using India's most widely used script as the foundation for securing PINs against scams, thereby reinforcing Axis Bank’s position in consumer trust and digital security.
The 'Devanagari PIN' campaign, launched by Axis Bank in partnership with Grey India, showcased its focus on both marketing (strategy to promote product or brand) and business innovation (development of new methods or processes). This technology-driven approach aimed to combat digital scams (unauthorized acts to steal money, personal information, etc.) by leveraging the Devanagari script, a cultural asset (a tangible item that reflects social, cultural, spiritual, or historical significance). The campaign's success was recognized in finance (money management and investment), as Axis Bank won the 'Disruptive Brand of the Year' award at the ET Shark Awards 2025. To stay updated on the latest industry news and trends, subscribers can opt for the newsletter, download the mobile app, or receive real-time updates from the Axis Bank website, catering to more than 2 million industry professionals.
