Kotak Mahindra Bank, one of the leading private sector lenders has partnered with blockbuster author - Amish's latest book ''Scion of Ikshvaku'', to launch a special themed debit card. The card featuring the cover of ''Scion of Ikshvaku'' offers discount on any book purchased at Crossword. The Bank also launched ''Tweet to Order'', where KMB customers registered for Hashtag Banking can order Amish’s book - ''Scion of Ikshvaku'' via Twitter by simply tweeting #Book Scion 262 @KotakBank.
KMB is carving out unique set of services for its customers by going beyond the purview of conventional banking. In addition to offering complete retail financial solutions including a variety of savings and loan products and innovative digital solutions, KMB is enabling its customers indulge in passions like books and movies. The success of KMB's co-branded credit card with PVR Cinemas is testimony to customers’ preference for such lifestyle propositions from the Bank.
Shanti Ekambaram, President - Consumer Banking, Kotak Mahindra Bank said, ''Movies and books are soul candies. They not only entertain, but have the power to inspire, motivate and uplift. We have India's most successful co-branded card in partnership with PVR Cinemas, which delivers superior entertainment experiences to our customers.''''Our partnership with Amish's latest book is a step towards enabling our customers to enjoy what they like and thereby, build a stronger connect with them. We want to partner our customers to not only meet their financial goals but also offer myriad lifestyle experiences,'' added Ekambaram.
Sumit Bali, Senior Executive Vice President, Head - Personal Assets, Kotak Mahindra Bank said, ''The special themed debit card is a unique addition in our cards portfolio, and a prized possession for any book lover. We will continue offering exclusive propositions in areas of lifestyle and passion, and make banking with us more delightful.''Amish, the author of Scion of Ikshvaku and the Shiva trilogy, said, ''I am confident that the special themed debit card and Tweet to Order will provide an enriching experience to KMB’s customers. It is indeed a wonderful service for book lovers.''KMB was the first bank to launch banking on social media in March 2014, and followed it up with Hashtag Banking in February 2015. ''Tweet to Order'' is yet another first-of-its kind seamless digital proposition from the Kotak stable. A simple tweet ensures the book is delivered directly by Amazon to the customer’s doorstep. KMB takes care of the payment by debiting his / her account.
Under the new value proposition, KMB will continue to provide customised services and offerings in tie-up with other noted authors as well. KMB will host stimulating discussions between authors and readers by creating on-going connections through channels like Twitter groups and so on. We will provide readers the ability to wear their affection for their favourite authors with pride, at all times in the form of personally curated image cards inspired by book titles, covers, popular characters from the books, even the authors themselves and so on. KMB will deliver relevant benefits to this segment of book lovers, like previews, first edition ordering, autographed copies, access to copies at our branches, et al.
Earlier in the year, Uday Kotak launched ''The Making of India'', a book on economic game changers by Akhilesh Tilotia, Associate Director and thematic analyst with Kotak Institutional Equities. Customers can now also order this book via Twitter using the hashtag #Book MakingOfIndia 385 @KotakBank.
Shares of the bank gained Rs 21, or 1.53%, to trade at Rs 1,394. The total volume of shares traded was 66,650 at the BSE (1.33 p.m., Tuesday).
