Bold reality check: using Maa Kasam to sell health insurance exposes a fragile trust game in India’s market where GST relief on premiums has shifted the spotlight to price and perception.
New Update
Witnessing the front-page appearance of several mothers in The Times of India, paired with PhonePe’s vow to offer the lowest health insurance premiums by swearing on those mothers, unfortunately undermines confidence rather than building it.
Maa Kasam stands as one of India’s most powerful informal oaths. In a culture that hails mothers yet frequently throws the word into everyday slang, the gesture carries heavy weight. Swearing on one’s mother implies putting personal honor on the line and asserting the truth; breaking that oath damages the individual’s credibility more than it harms the mother’s wellbeing. The consequences are social and moral, not metaphysical.
That dynamic is precisely why PhonePe’s use of this oath around a topic as sensitive as health insurance feels disquieting. India’s health system faces vulnerabilities, medical costs continue rising, and many families purchase insurance out of fear rather than foresight. In this environment, invoking mothers to back a pricing claim comes off as unnecessary at best and tone-deaf at worst.
Of course, hypocrisy isn’t limited to advertisers. Indians often wield Maa Kasam casually, sometimes in the same breath using mother-related terms as insults or endearments. The sacredness of the mother is both invoked and violated, a cultural inconsistency brands are merely exploiting.
PhonePe’s timing isn’t incidental. With the government removing GST on health and life insurance premiums, cost-conscious consumers are reexamining their policies. Insurers and marketplaces like PhonePe respond with aggressive signaling. Promising the lowest premium is enticing; swearing on mothers is a shortcut to perceived trust.
Yet a caveat exists. PhonePe promises to refund the difference if a user finds a cheaper premium elsewhere. To buttress that reassurance, the oath is invoked again.
What do you think: should brands lean into culturally potent rituals to win trust, or does this approach risk normalizing the commodification of deeply personal symbols? Share your view in the comments.
