Stoa, the alternative for MBA, launches its brand campaign in association with The Rabbit Hole

Highlighting the thought that an MBA degree is not the only way, the campaign films star Vijendra Kala, Joy Sengupta and Kaustubh Kumar

Mumbai, 25th January 2023: Online B-school start-up Stoa has launched their brand campaign, in association with The Rabbit Hole, video content solutions agency of the Zoo Media Network. Engineered with an unconventional message, the campaign is spread over a 3-part film series, playing on the reverse psychology of acquiring an education degree. The series is directed and produced by The Rabbit Hole, and stars renowned actors Brijendra Kala, Joy Sengupta and Kaustubh Kumar. Highlighting Stoa’s brand messaging, the films are directed with the thought that “a degree is not applicable everywhere”.

While MBA is one of the most sought-after education degrees, not all MBA degrees hold value unless they are from top-tier institutes. The cost of pursuing an MBA is exorbitant making it nearly impossible for many smart professionals to afford it. Stoa is founded on the belief that good education does not require a degree. As an alternative to MBA, Stoa aims to help professionals acquire all the advantages of an MBA without having to struggle with a traditional MBA program’s rigid schedule, while shelling out tens of lakhs in fees. The campaign is expected to go live across the brand’s social media platforms including Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

Film 1: Brand film showcasing the family of a patient with 2nd degree burn, celebrating, highlighting that a degree is not valuable everywhere

The campaign was launched by Ashneer Grover with the first film on his LinkedIn

Film 2 Brand film showcasing the protagonist on a date with his education degree refusing to place an order at the restaurant – highlighting that “if a degree gets you full then Stoa isn’t for you”

Film 3 Brand film showcasing the protagonist showing off his degree at a traffic signal to get away from a havoc he created – highlighting that “a degree cannot get you through everything”

Raj Kunkolienkar, Co-founder of Stoa commented, “One of the ways we looked at the campaign is to make sure that customers are able to qualify themselves – we aren’t really for those who are just after a degree. Given the obsession in our society around that, I think the ad films make their point pretty clearly”

Aditya Kulkarni, Co-founder of Stoa adds, “Stoa is now a community of 1000+ business professionals who are crazy enough to pursue this modern take on business education without the degree. Some of our alumni are already top operators at the fastest growing companies – but what gives us more joy is this sense of community – there is not any major city left where Stoa alums don’t meet regularly.”

Speaking about the campaign, Rishabh Khatter, Business Head, The Rabbit Hole (Zoo Media Network) said, “At the Rabbit Hole we appreciate it when a brand stands out in thought, message and approach with a room to experiment on advertising narrative. Raj & Aditya provided that exactly to the Creative and Execution teams making it an absolute pleasure to be associated with this campaign. We look forward to disrupting a lot more for them in the future as we have previously in the Ed-tech ecosystem.”

The campaign films for Stoa have been directed by The Rabbit Hole’s Dipro Ghosal along with Apurva Gabhe, who has helmed the production of the ad films, while the think-tank behind the creation and thought of the films is renowned writer and creative director Vishal Dayama.