In many rural households across India, women traditionally save money in kitchen tins or containers—known locally as dabbas. While culturally familiar, this practice leaves savings vulnerable to theft, emergencies, or inflation. ESAF Small Finance Bank, in partnership with McCann India, launched the “Dabba Savings Account” campaign to bridge this gap. By connecting the cultural habit of saving in dabbas with the security of a bank account, the initiative empowered women to embrace formal banking without fear or complexity.
Campaign Overview
Pilot Launch: Introduced in South Tamil Nadu in October 2023 as a micro-savings initiative.
Cultural Insight: Women were encouraged to deposit small amounts regularly, just as they would in their kitchen dabba.
Simplified Process: Accounts were designed with minimal paperwork and easy accessibility.
Community Outreach: ESAF used local women’s groups and field officers to spread awareness.
Creative Branding: McCann India’s campaign storytelling connected the dabba metaphor directly to banking trust
Campaign Objective
The campaign aimed to:
Target unbanked and underbanked rural women who avoided banks due to fear of procedures or lack of access.
Leverage cultural resonance by linking the familiar “dabba” to a savings account.
Promote financial inclusion and empower women with secure, accessible banking.
Build trust in ESAF Small Finance Bank as a community-focused institution.
Execution
Storytelling Ads: Films and print ads showed women moving their savings from dabbas to ESAF accounts.
Grassroots Activation: Field officers visited villages, explaining the benefits in local dialects.
Trust-Building: ESAF emphasized safety, accessibility, and empowerment.
Digital Push: Social media amplified the campaign’s cultural resonance.
Brand Impact
Positioned ESAF as a champion of financial inclusion.
Built strong emotional resonance by respecting cultural practices instead of dismissing them.
Elevated ESAF’s reputation as a community-first bank.
Results
Dabba Savings Account by ESAF turned a simple household object into a powerful financial empowerment tool. What began as a pilot in South Tamil Nadu quickly gained momentum, with thousands of rural women opening accounts during the initial phase thanks to the campaign’s deep cultural relevance and trust-building approach.
The initiative eventually led to 121,670 Dabba Savings Accounts opened, proving its massive real-world impact. The overwhelmingly positive response encouraged ESAF to scale the program nationwide, cementing its role as a champion of financial inclusion for rural communities.
Lessons Learned
Cultural habits can be gateways to innovation. By respecting traditions, brands can drive change.
Financial inclusion requires empathy. Simplifying processes and building trust are as important as product features.
Small insights lead to big impact. A dabba became the symbol of empowerment.
