CashKaro, a cashback platform, recently unveiled India’s first-ever Ghibli-style advertisement, delivering a message about the inefficacy of coin-based cashback. The animated campaign takes a cheeky dig at coin apps, emphasising that “Coins Are All Bakwas, Real Cashback is CashKaro Ke Paas.”
In an era where many platforms lure users with virtual coins that often have complex redemption value, limited usability, or expiry dates, CashKaro reinforces its promise of real cashback — directly credited as real money via UPI, which users can transfer to their bank accounts.
The ad, inspired by the iconic Studio Ghibli animation style, sets a new benchmark in digital advertising with its unique storytelling approach and vibrant, hand-drawn aesthetics.
Medianews4u.com caught up with Swati Bhargava, Co-founder of CashKaro and EarnKaro
Q. CashKaro, a cashback platform, has unveiled India’s first-ever Ghibli-style ad. What impact is Gen AI having on the company’s creativity plans?
Gen AI is opening an entirely new creative dimension for us. The Ghibli-style ad is a perfect example of how we’re merging nostalgic, emotionally resonant storytelling with technology to break through digital noise.
For a platform like CashKaro, where differentiation is key, Gen AI empowers our teams to explore more visually compelling, cost-efficient formats at scale without compromising on storytelling depth or aesthetic quality. We can now create deeply personalised visuals, rapidly prototype campaign ideas, and visualise alternate creative worlds that might have previously been limited by budget or timelines.
That said, we’re very conscious about striking the right balance between technology and human creativity. Gen AI is an enabler, not a replacement. It’s giving our creative teams new tools to think bigger, faster, and smarter.
Q. Is digital marketing going to be the focus area for the campaign?
Absolutely. Given our platform’s digital-first nature, digital marketing continues to be the primary driver of our campaigns. We’re investing heavily in performance marketing, programmatic advertising, and to ensure precision-targetted reach.
The Ghibli-style ad, for instance, was designed to thrive on digital platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and where short-form storytelling drives high engagement. We’re also leveraging AI to personalise content across audience segments, so the same ad can have different hooks depending on the viewer’s preferences and browsing behaviour.
Beyond this, we see digital marketing as a two-way street, it’s not just about visibility but also about listening and iterating in real time. This campaign will evolve continuously based on how audiences respond to different creative formats, making it a dynamic and data-led journey.
Q. How will AI help the company optimise media spends?
AI is redefining how we allocate and optimise every rupee of our media budget. Traditionally, media planning involved a lot of guesswork and post-campaign analysis. With AI, we can forecast, simulate, and course-correct campaigns in real time. At CashKaro, we use AI algorithms to analyse user behaviour, predict click-through and conversion rates, and determine the optimal channels and timings for our ads.
This allows us to dynamically adjust spends across platforms, whether it’s upping our investments on a high-performing Instagram reel or reducing wastage on underperforming Google ads.
Moreover, AI helps us better segment our audience, ensuring that our messaging is hyper-relevant to the right cohorts, whether its students looking for cashback on education platforms or working professionals eyeing travel deals. The result is significantly improved ROI, less campaign fatigue, and a more frictionless user acquisition process.
Q. What other marketing innovations can one expect to see going forward? How big a role will Gen AI play?
The future of marketing will be shaped by a blend of hyper-personalisation, immersive experiences, and predictive intelligence. We anticipate deeper integration of AI-powered tools that can not only optimise media buying but also craft dynamic, data-driven content tailored to individual user behaviour in real time.
Generative AI will be a cornerstone, powering everything from personavised video ads to conversational commerce, AI influencers, and even AI-driven customer support. However, at CashKaro, we see Gen AI not as a replacement for human creativity but as a catalyst to augment it.
It enables our teams to experiment faster, scale ideas more efficiently, and focus more on strategy and storytelling. The human insight behind the message will always remain central to what we do.
Q. Critics feel that creating Ghibli-inspired ads violates copyright and blurs ethical lines. What is the company’s view on this and the debate that AI should not replace human creativity?
At CashKaro, our Ghibli-inspired campaign was a heartfelt homage to the emotional storytelling and visual richness of the genre, not an attempt to imitate or infringe on any original IP. We were careful to ensure that our work remained inspired by rather than copied from, rooted in original storytelling that reflects our own brand ethos of trust, simplicity, and magic in everyday savings.
The broader debate around AI and creativity is an important one. We firmly believe that while AI can offer tools to enhance creative processes, it should not replace the core human essence, empathy, cultural nuance, and lived experience, that drives meaningful storytelling. For us, AI is an enabler, not a creator. The soul of the message still belongs to the humans behind it.
Q. Many platforms lure users with virtual coins that often have complex redemption value, limited usability, or expiry dates. CashKaro in the campaign aims to reinforce its promise of real cashback. How is this positioning helping the company build brand loyalty?
In an age of gimmicks and gamified wallets, users are becoming increasingly wary of “virtual” rewards that offer little real-world value. At CashKaro, we’ve consciously taken a different path, focussing on real cashback that goes straight into users’ bank accounts or can be converted into Amazon Pay balance with zero complications.
This clarity and authenticity are central to our brand promise and have been instrumental in building trust and loyalty. Our latest ad reinforces this message visually and emotionally, reminding users that what we offer is not just a reward, but a reliable way to save money on everyday purchases.
The result? A stronger emotional connection and a growing community of savvy users who stay because they know we deliver exactly what we promise, real savings, no strings attached.
Q. How is 2025 looking for CashKaro? Is an expected recession going to be a big challenge?
2025 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for CashKaro, and while macroeconomic uncertainties like a potential recession pose challenges, they also present opportunities. In times of financial restraint, consumers become more value-conscious, which directly aligns with CashKaro’s proposition of offering real cashback and savings on daily purchases. We anticipate an uptick in user engagement as people actively seek ways to reduce spending without compromising on quality or convenience.
Moreover, we’re diversifying our cashback categories, expanding into everyday essentials like groceries, food delivery, and bill payments, which remain resilient even during economic downturns. Internally, we’re doubling down on technology to optimise user journeys, personalise savings, and improve retention. On the B2B side, we see strong interest from brands and merchants seeking performance-driven marketing, our model offers measurable ROI, which is particularly valuable in uncertain times.
So, while we’re watchful of economic headwinds, our value-focused offering and agility in adapting to changing market needs give us confidence. For CashKaro, 2025 is less about surviving a slowdown and more about scaling smartly in sync with evolving consumer behaviour.
Q. What are consumers looking for when they shop according to CashKaro research? Will a recession and a potential trade conflict change things?
At CashKaro, our research consistently shows that Indian consumers prioritize value, convenience, and trust when shopping online. They are deal-savvy, often seeking cashback, discounts, and rewards to maximise their savings.
With rising awareness, shoppers also increasingly prefer platforms that offer transparency and ease of use. Cashback, in particular, has emerged as a key motivator in purchase decisions, especially in categories like fashion, beauty, electronics, and food delivery.
In the context of a looming recession or global trade tensions, consumer behaviour is likely to shift further toward value-based decision-making. During economic uncertainty, shoppers typically cut discretionary spending and look for platforms that help them stretch their budget. Cashback and rewards platforms like CashKaro become even more relevant in such times by offering tangible monetary benefits on everyday purchases.
Moreover, our users turn to us not just for deals, but also for curated brand discovery. As price sensitivity increases, they become more open to exploring alternate brands, especially if they’re recommended through a trusted platform. In short, while macroeconomic conditions may evolve, the core consumer demand for value, trust, and savings will only intensify making platforms like CashKaro even more integral to the online shopping journey.
Q. How onboarding Genelia Deshmukh as the Brand Ambassador helped with brand recall and business growth in the past?
Onboarding Genelia Deshmukh as our brand ambassador had significantly strengthened CashKaro’s connect with Indian audiences. Genelia is widely loved across demographics for her authenticity, relatable charm, and strong family-oriented persona, which aligned beautifully with CashKaro’s positioning as a trustworthy savings platform for every Indian household.
Her association helped boost brand recall through engaging and entertaining ad campaigns, particularly among women and young families. Genelia’s relatable appeal and her enthusiastic endorsement of “Paise Wapas” (Cashback) made the idea of saving while shopping more memorable and accessible. The campaign’s success was evident in the surge in app installs, increased engagement on social media, and higher retention of users who discovered us through the campaign.
From a business perspective, we saw a measurable uptick in both traffic and transactions post the launch of our Genelia-led campaigns. Her credibility also played a critical role in building trust, particularly in tier 2 and tier 3 markets where skepticism towards online savings platforms still exists. Overall, Genelia’s involvement helped us in not only humanising the brand but also in breaking into new user segments and strengthen loyalty among existing ones.
Q. How important will retail media be for CashKaro to spread awareness about its offerings and in terms of business partnerships?
Retail media is becoming increasingly vital for CashKaro as it strives to expand both brand awareness and strategic business partnerships. As more consumers shop online, the ability to leverage data and directly target users at the point of purchase is invaluable.
With specific target audience, retail media can help in spreading awareness about real cashback and how people can adopt a simple habit to drive better savings apart from driving app downloads.
For business partnerships, retail media provides an avenue to visibility to newer brands and retailers that can potentially convert into a partnership. This will ultimately be a key driver for the company in terms of awareness, user acquisition, and B2B visibility.
Q. What tie-ups is CashKaro doing with various merchants and platforms?
CashKaro continues to strengthen its ecosystem through collaborations with leading merchants and e-commerce platforms. The company works closely with giants like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, and more to ensure its users get exclusive real cashback offers on everyday purchases. CashKaro’s partnerships extend beyond e-commerce to include various sectors like fashion, travel, electronics, and groceries, making its offering comprehensive.
Many collaborations also include platforms offering services like hotel bookings, financial services, and even educational products, broadening CashKaro’s reach. By forming strategic partnerships across industries, CashKaro not only enhances its cashback options but also solidifies its position as a trusted platform for saving money on all kinds of purchases.
Q. Is the company’s main TG the 15-30 segment and Gen Z?
While the 15-30 age group, including Gen Z, plays a pivotal role in CashKaro’s target audience, the brand caters to a wider demographic. Gen Z, known for their tech-savviness and focus on value-driven purchases, resonates well with CashKaro’s offerings like cashback, discounts, and rewards.
This group is highly active online, making them ideal for CashKaro’s platform, which blends technology with consumer benefits. However, CashKaro’s user base also includes millennials and even older consumers who are increasingly tech-savvy and look for ways to optimise their spending.
By broadening its appeal beyond just Gen Z, CashKaro ensures its platform meets the needs of a more diverse consumer base, while still maintaining a strong presence among younger, trend-setting shoppers who prioritize convenience, savings, and technology.
Q. Is there a consumer trust deficit when it comes to e-commerce and online shopping given the rise in payment fraud?
With the rise of online payment fraud, consumer trust has indeed become a significant challenge for many platforms. As a well-established cashback platform, CashKaro only tracks the cashback and all payments are made via brand gateway, like if you shop on Flipkart via CashKaro, all payments are done on Flipkart like how a user usually does.
CashKaro doesn’t enable a payment option and doesn’t take any payment related inputs or data as well. The company’s transparent approach to cashback processes, coupled with responsive customer support, further builds trust among its user base.
