The IPL Effect: How Seasonal Celebrity Marketing Boosts Brand Equity

Learn how IPL’s celebrity-led ads give brands a powerful seasonal boost, driving strong recall, fan engagement, and long-term loyalty in a crowded market.

The Indian Premier League, or IPL, is much more than just a cricket tournament. It is a major event that combines sports, entertainment, and mass appeal, attracting millions of viewers across India. Over the years, IPL has become an important platform for brands to promote themselves and engage with a wide audience.

IPL appeals to a wide spectrum of the fandom world, from passive subscribers to fiercely die-hard supporters. This celebrity-driven world of cricket serves as an ideal platform to engage brands with fans. More importantly, brands use this opportunity to build brand equity, which refers to the value and trust that a brand holds in the minds of consumers. Through IPL’s celebrity endorsements and creative campaigns, brands create emotional connections with audiences. This helps improve brand recognition, loyalty, and long-term value. In this way, IPL serves not just as a marketing event but as a strategic platform that helps brands strengthen and sustain their position in the market.

IPL as a Marketing Goldmine 

The IPL began in 2008 and has quickly become one of the most popular sporting events in the world. The great thing about IPL is its format. The T20 matches are short, entertaining, and full of action; so not only do cricket fans tune in, but also people looking for an activity or fast-moving entertainment. Another thing to acknowledge about the IPL is that it has blended cricket and Bollywood. Many teams have owners who are film stars, and numerous games have performances and music. This combination of film and sport has brought the IPL in touch with many sponsors.

IPL's brand value has reached $12 billion, with top franchises like Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Kolkata Knight Riders each valued above $100 million. According to a TAM Sports report, commercial ad volumes during the first 13 matches of IPL 2025 grew 12 percent compared to last year, underlining IPL’s strength as a powerful marketing platform.

Why Brands Use IPL for Celebrity Campaigns 

The IPL is one of the largest sporting programs in the country, with millions of viewers. The wide audience and high energy create an impactful platform for brands to connect and engage with consumers and create awareness, ultimately, take action, which is why the IPL fits well into brands that are getting ready for large-market advertising campaigns.

Massive Audiences and Emotional Commitment

The IPL is extremely attractive to brands because it has such a massive reach. Millions of fans watch matches either at home, at cafes, or during work breaks, creating a big enough audience for brands to legitimately gain attention.

For instance, JioCinema made waves during the IPL season, onboarded as the official digital streaming partner, and hosted the tournament for free. Utilising Jio’s vast network and some nifty marketing, JioCinema was available to even wider audiences across India by offering free access to all matches.In total, these campaigns accumulated 23.4 million interactions! They not only achieved massive audiences, but they did it in a way that redefined digital engagement in sports.

Perfect Timing for Strong Recall

IPL takes place at a time when audiences are highly active on digital platforms, making it ideal for brands to gain visibility and stick in people’s minds. Every IPL match is a moment of national significance, which generates excitement, and connecting branding to this event allows brands to
Tap into louder engagement. 

Mondelez is a great example of a brand using this opportunity, due to its longstanding affiliation with cricket. Mondelez is a global snacking company and parent brand of Cadbury Dairy Milk, Oreo, Bournvita, and Fuse. For Mondelez, it is about understanding the emotional connection and the occasion cricket brings to people's lives to generate high-impact campaigns with the right intent at its peak time. The trust Mondelez has built from a purpose-led platform with initiatives like #CheerForAllTheSports (linked to this year's IPL) and #SitTogether (during the recent 2023 World Cup).

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Alongside these, Mondelez launched memorable ad films such as the Cadbury Fuse campaigns featuring Yuvraj Singh and Rishabh Pant. These ads, timed around peak cricketing moments, created a strong buzz and helped drive product interest. This perfectly demonstrates how leveraging the IPL season allows brands not just to be seen, but to be remembered, showcasing the real value of seasonal marketing when timed right.

How IPL Contributes to Brand Equity

• Surge in Awareness - IPL has an unmatched level of visibility. As millions watch every single match, any advertisement has the potential to reach millions of viewers (even if for a few seconds). As a result, brands can introduce their identity to millions of people in an instant and enhance overall awareness. Whether a new startup or an established company introducing new goods, IPL allows them to grab attention and establish themselves quickly.

• Increased Engagement - When celebrities are present, advertisements have a built-in engagement factor. Consumers are more likely to watch, share, or discuss the controversy surrounding an advertisement with their favorite cricketer or actor. In addition, digital platforms now provide consumers with more ways to engage with these advertising campaigns, whether through comments, contests, or shares, thereby enhancing their involvement and making the brand more personable.

• Stimulating Trust - Sports celebrities carry a strong influence, and when they endorse a brand, it often builds trust among viewers. During IPL, when people are emotionally invested in their teams and players, this effect becomes even stronger. When a trusted face recommends a product, people are more likely to believe in it and give it a try.

• From Short-Term Buzz to Long-Term - Loyalty, while the buzz may begin at IPL, the most impactful campaigns have a long life even after IPL. Major Campaigns That Made A Splash Over the years, there have been numerous campaigns that were launched during IPL that left a lasting impression. These campaigns not only gave visibility to the brand but also ingrained it right into pop culture! Let's take a look at a few that had an impact.

Famous Campaigns That Made News

There have been many campaigns that have gone viral as a result of being launched during the IPL. Many of these campaigns contributed to brand visibility and helped them break into pop culture. Here are a few campaigns that stood out. 

VIVO IPL 2021 – Asli Picture Abhi Baaki Hai

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After the break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the IPL was able to return in 2021 with a brand new campaign titled Asli Picture Abhi Baaki Hai. The Hindi phrase translates to "The real picture is still to come", and it created excitement around the second half of a season. The ad ran like a movie trailer, full of dramatic match moments, exciting visuals, and presented the tournament as a thrilling movie, full of twists and action. This ad created excitement and energy around the tournament's comebacks.

CRED - Rahul Dravid's Angry side

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Of all the IPL ads, the most memorable one was from CRED. We saw the unthinkable: the composed and calm Rahul Dravid lost his marbles and started shouting in traffic. It was short, funny, and unexpected. People loved it and went crazy. There were memes made, there were post reactions on social media. They used a celebrity in a role that you would not see Dravid in. This created a great talking point for people. The ad did not just market the brand. It gave CRED an honest and quirky personality and created a connection with the younger target audience.

Dream11 – All-Star Lineup

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Dream11 has featured several cricket stars like MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, and Hardik Pandya in its campaigns. These ads use humor to blend brand messaging with entertainment, encouraging viewers to stick with what they do best. This lighthearted approach resonated well with audiences, helping Dream11 strengthen its brand during the IPL season.
When a fantasy gaming brand like Dream11 brings together Bollywood and cricket stars, expectations are high. Their latest campaign, Aapki Team Mein Kaun Hai, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Aamir Khan, and cricketers like Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, delivers on humor, engagement, and a strong call to action. The cleverly written script guides viewers to create their own teams on Dream11 while keeping them entertained with memorable fan moments.

Pepsi – Oh Yes, Abhi!

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The campaign "Oh Yes Abhi!" from Pepsi set out to define youth energy, impatience, and zeal by using stars like Ranbir Kapoor,  MS Dhoni, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas in an ad telling people to live it up and enjoy life. Therefore, with the IPL focusing on the youth, this campaign represented the perfect choice to involve the youth and capture the whole vibe of the tournament and make Pepsi the drink of choice for IPL consumers. More so, it was more than an ad: it turned into a tagline that many young people universally lived by during the season.

Kingfisher – Oo La La La Le O 

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Kingfisher probably ran one of the best IPL campaigns ever - "Oo La La La Le O". Instead of focusing on humor or a specific product (like most ads in the sports game), Kingfisher turned to a musical campaign to forge an emotional connection with the fans. The ad featured IPL players from the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians, and Rajasthan Royals teams singing/chanting the fun and catchy jingle together. The execution was simple, and while aimed at the players and fans, the objective was to create a feel-good anthem that linked all the players together. It was something special during that IPL season.

Boost Brand Equity with Cricket’s Top Talent!

Challenges and Risks of Celebrity Marketing within IPL

• High Costs - Advertising during IPL is very costly. With so many brands fighting for the same attention, it can put a brand at risk of spending a huge amount  of money on airtime during matches and celebrity payments. Smaller firms do not always have to option, and even big brands need to plan carefully to define their return on investment.

• Competitive Clutter - It is challenging to stand out as hundreds of ads run across multiple platforms during the IPL. Many say they "look the same" and are using the same celebrities, which can create confusion. To be effective, it would need to be creative, different, and fit with the voice of the brand.

• Risk of Overexposure - Too much is also harmful. If a celebrity is endorsing too many products in one season, it diminishes the effectiveness of every campaign. Brands must ensure that the message is clear, not lost in a sea of other ads.

• Weak Messaging - Neither is a big enough name. A big name is not enough. If you don't have a strong enough idea or don't connect emotionally with the audience, even a celebrity endorsement won't work.

What's Next: Trends in IPL Celebrity Marketing

1. The Rise of Regional Celebrities and Influencers - As the IPL gets increasingly regionalized, brands are starting to leverage local influencers and cricketers. This now enables brands to appeal to more specific language groups and cultural associations. Regional celebrity marketing is not limited to "going national" but is instead about developing broader connections at every level of the country.

2. Interactive and Immersive Campaigns - In a world of changing times, technology is transforming how people engage with brands. Live polls, AR filters, clickable video ads, etc are starting to be conventional. This allows fans to engage with the campaigns instead of just saying they are an audience; they feel like they are part of the campaign.

3. Data-Driven Campaigns - Brands can use data to gain insight into consumer behaviour throughout the IPL. This helps with the targeting of ads and gives brands insight to make more informed decisions in terms of the optimum engagement and connection with their ideal customers. Once brands have this insight into what their fans like and when they are most active, and how they interact, they can develop smart, effective campaigns.

The IPL is more than just a cricket league. It is a cultural phenomenon that connects excitement, entertainment, and emotion. To brands, it provides a once-in-a-year opportunity to reach millions in a short time frame. When celebrity endorsement, a creative story developed and digital reach combine, you can create some magic. Campaigns such as CRED, Swiggy, Dream11, and Pepsi are a few examples of how brands can make a mark amidst the IPL spectacle.
Yes, challenges exist. But with the right message at the right time and a strategic approach, IPL can help brands build awareness, develop credibility, and reinforce their positioning in the marketplace. In marketing, few platforms can be bigger and brighter than IPL. And when brands have the presence of mind to leverage it, the gains can be phenomenal.

Turn your brand into a household name. Utilise the influence of top sports personalities this IPL season and connect with fans like never before.