CRED's Unusual Endorsements: How Anti-Hero Celebs Made Finance Cool Again

Discover how CRED redefined finance with bold, unconventional ad campaigns featuring anti-hero celebrities and nostalgic throwbacks. Explore its unique marketing strategies, influencer collaborations, and how it made credit card payments cool for a new generation.

Finance is not the most thrilling subject. For decades, financial brands adhered to a time-tested formula, clean attire, somber tone, and assurances of a secure future. In a universe where finance advertisements are generally dull, CRED took the risk. Rather than being wise, it turned playful, bizarre, and quirky. From pulling off unusual celebrity cameos to making people want to watch advertisements, CRED made them crave ads. It wasn't simply selling a service. It was crafting an energy with humor, nostalgia, and a premium finish that resonated with a young, digital India.

CRED advertisements have included cricketers behaving out of character, musicians parodies, and Bollywood icons becoming comedically self-aware. These commercials not only promote a product, but they also produce cultural phenomena. People forwarded them, quoted them, and looked forward to the next. They have taken celebrity endorsement and influencer marketing to a different level. CRED knew that emotion and entertainment are as valuable as information in the age of short attention spans and viral culture. And they made it cool to pay credit card bills.

What is CRED?

CRED is a membership app that rewards individuals for settling their credit card bills on time. Easy in idea, but supported by strong technology and intelligent design, the app enables customers to handle multiple credit cards, monitor expenses, keep tabs on their credit scores, and get special rewards.The app is famous for providing premium experiences, such as discounts on luxury brands, special event access, travel benefits, and cashbacks. By incentivising good financial behavior, CRED presents itself as a club for the responsible and financially smart.

CRED was established in 2018 by businessman Kunal Shah, who had already founded FreeCharge. The business is headquartered in Bengaluru and has since obtained more than 867 million dollars in funding. With a value of 6.4 billion dollars, the business has turned out to be among India's most successful fintech startups. Its key investors are Ribbit Capital, Sequoia Capital, and Peak XV Partners.

But what makes CRED stand out isn't its technology or capital, it's the brand it has created. From the minimalist black-and-white app aesthetic to its film-like commercials, CRED has established a distinct identity that resonates with a new generation of Indian consumers.

CRED’s Target Audience

CRED's customer base is apparent, digitally literate, credit card-enabled, financially discerning professionals between 25 to 45. These are the folks who use cards a lot, like good service, and need top-notch add-ons. A major proportion of them belong to metropolitan cities and big cities where the culture of electronic payments and application-based finance permeates daily activities.

But CRED doesn't aim at its audience in the obvious manner. Rather than employing fresh-faced influencers or popular internet celebrities, it relies on nostalgia and cultural recognition. The brand chooses celebrities who resonate with millennials and Gen X individuals they grew up watching or rooting for.

From veteran cricketers to 90s film icons, CRED’s casting choices are deliberate. They don’t just grab attention, they create a bridge between generations, letting younger audiences connect with older celebrities in fun, playful ways. This strategy helps CRED stand out in a market flooded with loud, influencer-heavy promotions. While others chase virality, CRED creates it by tapping into shared memories, clever humor, and high production value.

CRED Campaigns That Went Viral

The Mega Jackpot Week Campaign

One of the most iconic and well-known campaigns of CRED was the "Mega Jackpot Week." Introduced as a part of their reward program for paying credit card bills, the campaign made an ordinary, run-of-the-mill activity exciting and thrilling. The idea was straightforward but powerful: individuals who paid their credit card bills on time through CRED stood a chance to win high-value rewards such as cashbacks, shopping vouchers, and even once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Its success can be attributed to well-timed launching, taking advantage of the surprise psychology and amusement factor that incentives bring. The hype around the campaign aimed to establish CRED as not only a bill payment app but a brand that could make mundane tasks fun.

CRED Power Play Campaign

As CRED sought to increase its visibility in the fiercely competitive Indian marketplace, it resorted to joining forces with the Indian Premier League (IPL) to extend its reach to an even greater audience with its special brand of humor and lifestyle. The "CRED Power Play" campaign leveraged the IPL's enormous popularity to reach cricket fans and non-cricket fans as well. The IPL is not only a sporting tournament in India; it's a cultural phenomenon that attracts millions of viewers annually, making it the ideal platform for CRED to leverage its distinctive brand proposition.

This campaign succeeded because it added something fresh to the conventional sports sponsorship formula. This type of campaign is more than just a product push; it's about sparking a conversation. CRED did not aim to sell an app; they aimed to put themselves into conversations that were being had around the IPL, establishing a cultural connect with their consumers. Therefore, CRED created a lot of media chatter, becoming a watercooler moment on social media, which only served to further its brand awareness.

The Brilliance Behind CRED's Marketing Strategies

CRED's advertising is not only about putting up ads; it's about producing an experience for its users. The brand tries to create emotional connections with its audience by blending humor, nostalgia, and references to pop culture. The purpose is not merely to sell a product but to create a robust identity that appeals to their target audience so that CRED becomes a brand that speaks the same language as they do.

Not Everyone Gets It (2020)

With the "Not Everyone Gets It" campaign, CRED is fully committed to its hallmark quirky, irreverent humor. The commercial included Bollywood celebrities such as Madhuri Dixit, Anil Kapoor, and Bappi Lahiri, all of whom were parodied in a manner that referenced their iconic 90s roles. The campaign was a tongue-in-cheek, self-deprecating commentary on how these celebrities, though still popular, might be seen as being out of touch or old-fashioned with current trends.

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The genius of the ad was its humor and how it appealed to audiences based on humor that was relatable. Rather than attempting to showcase a shiny, polished version of celebrities, CRED embraced the notion that everything about the past is not "cool" anymore, but that does not lessen the stars' importance. It was a lighthearted, entertaining way of demonstrating that CRED is not about faking to be what it's not. It's about embracing vintage charm and modern innovation.

What this campaign successfully did was humanise CRED's brand, making it friendly and fun. It was not about over-the-top glamour; it was about the fact that people love humor and authenticity. This approach made the campaign go viral, where people could laugh at themselves and the common Bollywood clichés that had been the staples of Indian popular culture for years.

Great for the Good Campaign (IPL 2021)

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Another highlight campaign of 2021, "Great for the Good," went a bit differently, playing on nostalgia and the might of cricket. The sequence used a roster of legendary Indian cricketers from India's golden period in the 1990s, namely Venkat Prasad, Javagal Srinath, and Saba Karim. But rather than being on the cricket ground, the cricketers were introduced in a whole new way: as a boy band. The campaign employed these legendary cricketers to bring about a sense of playfulness, overplaying their personalities through offbeat choreography and light-hearted musical performances.

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Another example of a very famous example of campaign is an ad featuring Rahul Dravid, Calm, serious, and reliable as he is, he became the face of CRED's most memorable ad campaign by doing the complete opposite of what everyone thought he would do, screaming at strangers in traffic as "Indiranagar ka Gunda." It was funny, surprising, and went viral in a matter of seconds.

The campaign was successful cause it blended nostalgia with humor. CRED utilised the emotional attachment most people had in cricket during the 90s and then turned it on its head by having the cricketers do a tongue-in-cheek, over-the-top music video. It was a nod to the times, but also a fun and contemporary spin on the cricketers' legacies. It not only made the people laugh but also recalled good memories of cricket's heyday, and it had a long-lasting impression on the people.

Play It Different (IPL 2022)

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During IPL 2022, CRED launched its “Play It Different” campaign with a creative throwback to the 90s. One of the standout ads featured Karisma Kapoor in a quirky recreation of the iconic Nirma detergent commercial. Another brought back the beloved TV show Antakshari, with original hosts Annu Kapoor and Renuka Shahane.The campaign also featured a comedy ad where Sharma ji and Gupta ji were chatting about CRED Bounty rewards in a vintage neighbourhood style. All these ads incorporated bright technicolour visuals and retro design elements to invoke a sense of nostalgia.

Although the campaign was widely appreciated for its creativity and astute implementation, it polarized viewers, some were put off by the non-stop advertising during IPL. Nevertheless, CRED stands out effectively, demonstrating that it could balance entertainment with marketing reach.

Upgrade to CRED UPI (IPL 2024)

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The Upgrade to CRED UPI campaign took a humorous approach to highlight the simplicity and perks of using CRED’s UPI platform. In this ad, popular personalities like David Warner, SS Rajamouli, IIA Arun, and Leander Paes are seen making payments using regular UPI. However, they’re soon asked for a small favour, and the ad builds on this foreseen scenario where they end up humorously fulfilling that favour.

The catch comes when, at the end of the ad, each of these stars hints at upgrading to CRED UPI, realizing it could make their transactions smoother and more rewarding. The campaign cleverly used well-known personalities to blend comedy with the brand’s promise of added convenience and benefits, while also reinforcing the idea that CRED UPI might just be the better choice for the future.

Ready to Craft a Campaign as Memorable as CRED's?

Influencer Marketing and CRED's Social Media Presence

CRED's marketing relies significantly on influencer marketing. CRED stands out through its use of influencers who, rather than promoting products superficially, go beyond to get connected with the personality and message of the brand. The company uses influencers to design content that communicates its values and resonates with a people-loving community who understands style, sense of humor, and ease of use.

CRED Escapes Campaign

The CRED Escapes initiative, which debuted in March 2023, was a revolutionary way of marketing luxury experiences through influencer collaborations. CRED partnered with influential personalities such as Mansi Ugale and Hoezay, who promoted their high-end travel experiences to the brand's community. Through their posts, they demonstrated how simple it was to utilize the CRED platform to access special travel offers and bespoke vacations.

This campaign brought influencer marketing to a whole new level. Rather than uploading run-of-the-mill content, influencers had the liberty of uploading personal experiences of their adventures. It was not just about the destination but about the exclusivity and convenience of booking journeys with CRED, which gave a wishful touch to the campaign. By combining luxury experiences with CRED's rewards program, the brand positioned itself as a portal to a more luxurious way of life, which deeply resonated with its target audience.

CRED's Only Fridays

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CRED Only Fridays was not merely a weekly campaign, it was an event users anticipated. Every Friday, CRED launched fun giveaways that varied from setting up romantic dates to gourmet dining and high-end treats. The fun factor was enhanced because it involved quirky creators and personalities.

The campaign boasted names like Karan Johar, Arpit Bala, Bhappa, and Big Forkers, who gave these giveaways their twist. They infused their content with humor, relatability, and a dash of glamour, so that every Friday felt new and fun.

By combining surprise rewards with pop culture icons, CRED maintained its audience's interest and reaffirmed its status as a high-end, lighthearted brand that understands how to make everyday moments feel special.

Mystery Boxes

Another master influencer-led campaign was the introduction of the "Mystery Boxes." CRED dispatched boxes with hammers or wrenches to influencers with one strange instruction: break your old phone or watch. This prank, as bizarre as it was, played on CRED's image of being a rule-breaker when it comes to its marketing efforts.

The campaign elicited tons of interest and hype on social media. Influencers opened their mystery boxes, and the smashing of their old, costly devices was a metaphor for moving on from the complicated, inefficient older ways to a smarter, more streamlined CRED platform.  By linking CRED with a light-hearted, memorable experience, the brand created a stronger relationship with its audience while unconventionally advertising its special services.

Looking for a Campaign That's Bold and Creative Like CRED?

CRED's Content-Driven Campaigns

Content creation is at the heart of CRED's marketing strategy. The brand doesn't advertise; it creates unique content that resonates with its audience, cracks them up, and has them coming back for more. With a mix of entertainment and promoting its product, CRED has managed to establish a niche space in the fast-paced fintech industry.

Curious CRED Podcast

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The Curious CRED podcast has emerged as a key component of the content ecosystem of CRED. This podcast is quite different from regular branded podcasts, as it probes into the private lives, interests, and eccentricities of the celebrity guests.

What makes this podcast unique is that it's authentic. It makes the listeners feel as if they're privy to an intimate discussion where all the conventional politeness of a brand-focused podcast is shed. Through highlighting the relatable, the humorous, and the highly personal stories, CRED has been able to turn its podcast into a listening treat for mass audiences.

The podcast is a perfect example of how content can transcend normal advertising and be a platform for authentic connection. It also encapsulates CRED's fundamental belief: brands do not sell products, they sell stories that resonate with humans.

My Two Cents Money Talks With Creators and Entrepreneurs

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CRED's My Two Cents initiative presented a new, thoughtful approach to finance. In this series, creators, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders revealed how they spend their money, and more importantly, what money means to them on a personal level. The writing was frank and reflective, going beyond numbers and savings to delve into emotion, priorities, and values connected to money. Whether it was the excitement of a first significant purchase or learnings from a financial error, My Two Cents made room for open talk that made finance more human.

By drawing on authentic stories rather than hard-selling products, CRED established credibility and authenticity, particularly among younger generations who prefer authenticity over finish. This campaign featured well-known personalities like Sunil Grover, Sushant Divgikar, Ranveer Brar, and the Suta sisters, who shared their personal experiences and reflections on money, making the campaign even more relatable and engaging.

Conclusion

CRED has shaken up the fintech space by thinking differently about how financial services must be sold. Its ads are memorable, shareable, and relatable to a large base. By leveraging humor, nostalgia, influencer partnerships, and interactive content, CRED has broken ranks with the competition. Rather than being centered on the nitty-gritty of credit card payments, it has developed a brand that connects emotionally with its target audience's humor, wants, and emotions.

CRED continues to push the boundaries of innovation with its marketing campaigns, consistently raising the bar through modern visuals and engaging motion graphics. Their creativity doesn’t stop there, CRED keeps evolving, from collaborating with Deepika Padukone on witty, resolution-themed ads to launching unique content like the ‘Obsession’ series. In this series, creators and influencers showcase their quirky obsessions with things like cars, clothes, and Legos, adding a fun and relatable layer to the brand. It’s a cool initiative that perfectly blends storytelling with modern culture. They are making finance simple, enjoyable, and interactive, CRED has emerged as a brand that individuals are not only happy to use but also eager to interact with.

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