ETBWS 2025: Cricket advertising drives full funnel impact
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.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
18 minutes ago
- Mint
India, New Zealand conclude second round of FTA talks in Delhi; third round set for September in Auckland
New Delhi: India and New Zealand have completed the second round of negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA), with both sides registering progress across key sectors, the commerce ministry said in a statement on Friday. The discussions, which concluded on 25 July in New Delhi, focused on deepening trade and investment ties and reflected growing alignment on a range of commercial and regulatory issues. The third round is slated for September in New Zealand, the ministry said. The development comes a day after India and the United Kingdom signed a landmark free trade agreement, adding to India's growing portfolio of bilateral trade agreements, including those with Australia and the UAE. The latest talks between India and New Zealand were held from 14-25 July and saw advancement in several negotiating pillars, including trade in goods and services, investment, rules of origin, customs procedures, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and economic cooperation. Negotiators from both sides indicated that early convergence had been achieved on multiple texts, and virtual intersessional meetings will be held to sustain momentum until the next in-person round. The FTA discussions were formally launched during New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's visit to India in March, when he met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Both sides announced the launch of negotiations for a free trade agreement as part of efforts to deepen economic cooperation amid growing concerns over a potential global tariff war triggered by US President Donald Trump's aggressive trade stance. Mint was the first to report on India exploring renewed FTA negotiations with New Zealand, in a report dated 26 June 2024. The first round of negotiations between the two countries began in May 2025 in New Delhi. The latest round of talks signals steady movement towards what officials described as a 'balanced, comprehensive, and forward-looking agreement'. India's merchandise trade with New Zealand reached $1.3 billion in 2024-25, up nearly 49% from FY24, albeit from a relatively modest base. Trade analysts said an agreement with New Zealand, while smaller in scale compared with India's deals with the UK and the EU, would help New Delhi stitch a more strategic Indo-Pacific trade network. 'New Zealand is a gateway to the Pacific and has a relatively high per capita import appetite,' said Abhash Kumar, a trade economist. 'A well-negotiated deal will give Indian firms a secure and rules-based market while opening possibilities for trilateral arrangements with Australia or ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).' India is focusing on improving access for sectors such as pharmaceuticals, textiles, information technology services, and agri-products, while New Zealand is expected to push for gains in dairy, meat, wine, and education services.
Mint
18 minutes ago
- Mint
FTA to bring modest dip, not a steep dive, prices of UK spirits
NEW DELHI : Indian consumers hoping for the prices of their favourite UK whiskies to drop dramatically after the free-trade agreement need to temper their expectations. The India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), officially signed this week, will reduce the current 150% customs duty on spirits by half to 75% once the agreement comes into force, with a further reduction to 30-40% over the next 10 years. This applies to both 'bottled-in-origin' (BIO) spirits and bulk imports used by Indian manufacturers for blending with Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL). The UK wines and beers are exempt from the deal. Industry analysts and company executives suggest the immediate impact on retail prices will likely be modest, with reductions estimated between single digits and 10-15%, largely because import duties currently make up only 10-15% of the total shelf price. Margins still key to retail price 'While this (reduction in duty) is a notable move, its impact on retail prices will be modest in the near term," said Naveen Malpani, partner and consumer & retail industry leader at Grant Thornton Bharat. 'Import duties contribute only a fraction of the final price, with state excise, logistics, and distributor margins forming a large share of consumer cost." Grant Thornton Bharat estimates retail price drops in the range of ₹100–300 per bottle (8–10%) for premium Scotch. Also Read: India-UK FTA uncorks new promise for imported scotch and gin Ardent Alcobev Pvt Ltd, which sells Dram Bell—a blended Scotch whisky, bottled in origin—said the move is 'positive" and will enhance accessibility and affordability for Indian consumers. "The real benefit will depend on how quickly the duty reductions are implemented and whether the states align their tax structures accordingly," said Debashish Shyam, co-founder and director. 'While the final impact on retail pricing will vary by state due to local excise structures and channel margins, this duty reduction has the potential to bring down consumer prices by 10–15% over time." In a state like Maharashtra, for instance, where Dram Bell is already priced competitively—only marginally above premium IMFL—this development could further narrow the price gap and enhance accessibility. New markets for smaller players The move is also helping smaller players get into the market. 'This move will dramatically reduce cost for us and shake up the market, making entry and access easier," said Nishant Sharma, founder of Rutland, a UK-based spirits company that sells gin and rum bottled in Scotland. Once in full effect, a bottle of the brand's gin could cost ₹4,000 from ₹6,000. 'Launching a product like ours into the Indian market is a huge cost, because of the 150% duty. This gives us a small crack to enter the market," he said. Also Read: ITC bets on new growth engines, expands food-tech and wellness play The company sells its brand via airports with plans to expand in the top cities by later this year. Scotch dominates imports India, one of the world's largest alcohol markets, sells over 400 million cases of Indian alcoholic spirits annually. Yet imported spirits–bottled in origin and bulk bottled in India–account for 2.6 % of the total market. The imported category is dominated by whisky, with Scotch being around 81% of the overall imports of 9.9 million cases of alcoholic spirits, according to estimates by International Spirits and Wines Association of India or ISWAI. To be sure, 79 % of the Scotch imported into the country is in bulk form, which is used for bottling in India and for blending by local brands of whisky in the IMFL category. William Grant & Sons, Allied Blenders & Distillers and Bacardi declined to offer comments on the development. "Customs duty as part of the total MRP is hardly 20%, and if that even comes down by half, the MRP won't change dramatically. It won't immediately and dramatically change prices for everyone," said an industry executive speaking to Mint on the condition of anonymity. Also Read: Nestlé India Q1 profit falls on higher input, finance costs The person quoted above expects a single-digit percentage drop in prices. Pricing is also dynamic and dependent on how the pound fares next year, freight costs, etc. Meanwhile, the change could take a few months. Impact on Indian makers The FTA needs to be ratified by both parliaments, then notified in custom schedules, earliest by January 2026, said a spokesperson for spirits company Radio Khaitan. However, for Indian liquor makers, the duty reduction on bulk Scotch imports provides some advantage. "We export a lot of IMFL into the Middle East, Africa—for them, there are a lot of big benefits. The move will improve the quality of our IMFL exports," the person quoted earlier told Mint.
Time of India
18 minutes ago
- Time of India
ETtech Deals Digest: Startups raise $460 million in July so far, down 47% on-year
Startups across seed, early, and late stages raised the funds through 80 deals, compared to 161 in the year-ago month. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Indian startups raised about $460.5 million in funding between July 1 and 25, marking a 47.3% decrease from the full month last year, when they had raised a total of $874.2 million across 161 far this month, startups, primarily in the seed, early, and late stages, secured funding through 80 rounds, according to data from market intelligence platform contrast, May 2025 saw stronger momentum, with startups raising approximately $896.7 million across 74 week—from July 19 to July 25—funding stood at $211.3 million, accounting for nearly half of the month's total so messaging platform Gupshup raised $60 million, with the majority in the form of equity funding from venture capital firm Globespan Capital Partners and the rest as debt from EvolutionX Debt diagnostics services firm MedGenome raised $47.5 million in a funding round co-led by private equity firm Maj Invest, along with investment firms Novo Holdings and payments firm PayU received a capital infusion of $35.1 million from its parent, Prosus, the Dutch-listed arm of South African technology investor computing startup QpiAI raised $32 million in a funding round led by Avataar Venture Partners and India's National Quantum artificial intelligence (AI) startup Composio has raised $25 million in funding led by Lightspeed Venture Partners . The round also saw participation from existing investors, such as Elevation Capital and Girish Mathrubootham's Together Fund, in addition to angel investors, such as Gokul Rajaram, Rubrik cofounder Sohum Mazumdar, HubSpot founder Dharmesh Shah, and others.
