ETBWS 2025: Cricket advertising drives full funnel impact

Time of India

21-07-2025

For decades, no sport has united audiences quite like cricket. In recent years, however, the way the game is delivered and consumed has transformed, with digital and immersive formats reshaping how audiences engage with the sport. Brands looking to connect with cricket viewers are also evolving, crafting campaigns that drive awareness, consideration, and sales in more innovative ways.
At the 7th edition of the Brand World Summit, organised by ETBrandEquity, a panel of marketing leaders explored how India's most-watched sport can be leveraged for full-funnel impact.
The panel featured Lakshmi Narayanan B, CMO, CEAT Tyres; Inderpreet Singh, head of marketing, Birla Opus; Bhawna Sikka, CMO, Adidas India; Zameer Kochar, CMO, Angel One; Aniruddha Haldar, senior vice-president and business head, commuters, EV and corporate brand, TVS Motor Company; and Robin Das, founder and CEO, Brandintelle.
The power of creativity, particularly in legacy-driven categories such as paints, emerged as a central theme.
'For me, advertising performance hinges on the creative,' stated Singh. 'I've seen it across 23 years of my career, the biggest delta that you get. You can talk about it qualitatively or run market mix modelling; whichever way you do it, it's the creative that makes the final difference much more than efficiency or other parameters.'
Birla Opus entered a competitive paints market dominated by 70–80-year-old brands, and Singh noted that differentiation was non-negotiable. 'We had one brief: be different. If you want to win, you must be very, very different. So that's what it is for me, the power of creativity.'
While creativity sets the stage, cultural integration amplifies its impact, particularly through cricket, which serves as a shared national moment.
'When you say India's largest playground for ads, nothing can beat the IPL,' said Haldar. 'We've tried pure digital, pure TV, and now follow a hybrid, because different consumers are pointedly available on their chosen medium.'
For TVS, which operates in fast-growing categories such as EVs and scooters, brand experiences must extend beyond traditional advertising.
'Cricket reaches the last mile. When RCB is in the final, it's not just Bangalore, it's Bharat. If your ad fits that moment, in that flavour, it gets spoken about and earns its own media,' Haldar added.
Cricket's ability to deliver upper-to-lower funnel continuity is another significant advantage.
'Cricket is the big one,' observed Sikka. 'When you look at BARC data, whether it is Champions Trophy or IPL, this year we've had 350 million audiences on linear TV, 250 million audiences on mobile. For a brand, it's the biggest platform to reach at scale.'
As the official kit sponsor of Team India, Adidas does more than simply buy media; it plays a central role in the fan experience.
'When you see the Indian cricket team play in three stripes, it's unparalleled pride and equity you can't monetise. That's the upper funnel,' Sikka shared. 'Mid to lower is the product: aspiring athletes looking at footwear, fans buying the Team India jersey. During big matches, jersey sales shoot up. Are we there when people want to express their fandom? Absolutely.'
Cricket also contributes to brand saliency in low-frequency purchase categories.
'The media landscape is highly fragmented. You need to be sharp to find the right media mix. It's like finding a needle in a haystack. But cricket is right on top,' noted Narayanan.
CEAT's journey with cricket dates back to 1995 through CEAT Cricket Ratings and, later, a visible on-ground presence during IPL matches.
'For a category like tyres, where buying happens once every five to seven years, cricket opens the top of the funnel not just in India but globally through the diaspora,' said Narayanan.
Kochar emphasised the integration of brand and business objectives. 'Brand and business are two sides of the same coin.' Angel One leverages data-driven media mix modelling, analysing 18 months of data to optimise creative, media choices, and budgets for improved RoI (return on investment).
'Our IPL association boosts visibility, recall, and consumer sentiment, with strong lifts in traffic, installs, leads, and positive business trends such as CAC (customer acquisition costs) and lifetime value,' Kochar added.
Das pointed out that brands can still achieve impact without large budgets by leveraging shared viewing experiences.
'There are ways brands can leverage IPL without spending that much, especially at the bottom of the funnel,' explained Das. 'Things like more streaming, where people watch together and engage, that's something brands can explore. Not every brand has a big budget, but engagement and conversion can happen in those shared moments.'