The Indian Premier League (IPL) is gearing up for its 18th edition, scheduled from March 22 to May 25, 2025. This season promises thrilling cricketing action across 13 venues in India, with the Kolkata Knight Riders set to defend their title. The tournament will kick off at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, where the opening match and the grand finale will be held. With ten teams competing in 74 matches, the IPL continues to be a premier platform for brands aiming to connect with a diverse and expansive audience.
Not only the biggest sporting event of the year, The Indian Premier League (IPL) also continues to be one of the most powerful advertising platforms, and brands have diverse goals when engaging with IPL audiences. Recently, we conducted a survey among our website visitors to understand their IPL 2025 advertising preferences.
The first question to them was: What is your primary goal for IPL advertising?
Following is a pie-chart representing the survey results:
1. Building Brand Awareness
The majority of brands view IPL as an optimal opportunity to boost visibility and brand recognition among a vast and diverse audience. IPL’s extensive reach, with millions of viewers tuning in across digital and television platforms, makes it an ideal environment for establishing or reinforcing brand presence.
If you would like to learn more about driving brand awareness through IPL 2025 advertising, the following articles would be helpful:
Winning The Game: Copy These 7 Strategies For IPL 2025 Advertising Success
Example of Brand Awareness Campaigns in Sports: Agilus Diagnostics leveraged the biggest cricketing moment of the year – the India vs Pakistan clash in Champions Trophy 2025!
With 50% of the tournament’s total reach expected from this single match and an ODI showdown after 1.5 years, the stakes were sky-high—so were ad rates.
Recognizing the immense potential, Agilus strategically opted for Linear TV advertising, ensuring maximum reach, increased website traffic, and higher footfall in the coming days.
A well-timed move that delivered high-impact results in one of the world’s most-watched sporting events. Read what Agilus did to score a perfect 100 on Google Trends.
2. Launching New Products or Campaigns
Another significant segment of advertisers aims to leverage the IPL season to launch new products or kick-start fresh marketing campaigns. The league’s high engagement levels provide a strategic launchpad, ensuring maximum exposure during crucial initial phases of product introduction.
Example: Tata Neu, the Tata Group’s super-app, strategically utilized the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) broadcast to amplify its launch. The campaign began with TV commercials during the tournament’s first week to generate widespread interest. Subsequently, Tata Neu integrated various broadcast elements, including the “TATA Neu Playing11 Segment,” which announced team line-ups post-toss, enhancing brand visibility. The “Ball Kahan Hai” contest, promoted by cricket experts, engaged viewers by offering chances to win match tickets. Additionally, a dedicated “TATA Neu Day” across Star Network channels featured continuous branding and interactive segments, such as the “TATA Neu Challenge,” showcasing the app’s diverse offerings. This comprehensive approach resulted in 2.2 million app downloads and 2.1 million enrollments within the first week.
Read the entire article here.
3. Increasing Sales and Lead Generation
Many brands strategically invest in IPL advertisements with the direct aim of boosting sales and generating high-quality leads. The IPL season witnesses increased consumer spending and heightened brand engagement, presenting advertisers with numerous opportunities to convert viewers into active customers. Even though the primary objective of advertising during IPL matches is brand awareness for most brands, this is also a great opportunity to build a robust reach within a short span of time and later retarget them through performance campaigns.
Read more about the best IPL 2025 advertising strategies in this article.
4. Strengthening Brand Loyalty
Several companies view IPL advertising as a valuable channel for enhancing brand loyalty and deepening customer relationships. By associating their brands with teams, players, or engaging IPL narratives, these companies seek to foster emotional connections with their target audiences, solidifying customer retention and loyalty.
Example: CRED, a fintech platform, effectively utilized Indian Premier League (IPL) advertising to enhance brand loyalty and deepen customer relationships. In 2020, CRED launched the “Not Everyone Gets It” campaign during IPL, featuring Bollywood icons like Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit, which resonated with audiences and increased app downloads by 700%. In 2021, they continued this strategy with the “Indiranagar ka Gunda” campaign, showcasing cricketer Rahul Dravid in a humorous light, leading to widespread social media engagement and further strengthening customer connections. By associating with IPL and leveraging nostalgic elements, CRED successfully fostered emotional bonds with its target audience, solidifying brand loyalty.
Read the entire story here.
5. Gaining Competitive Advantage
Lastly, some brands specifically target IPL advertising to gain an edge over their competitors. Given the intense visibility and high competition during the IPL season, strategically positioned ads can help brands differentiate themselves clearly and assertively from their market rivals.
Example: Vivo’s strategic investment of ₹440 crore annually as the title sponsor of the Indian Premier League (IPL) exemplifies how brands leverage high-visibility platforms to gain a competitive edge. This substantial expenditure aimed to rapidly elevate Vivo’s brand association with IPL, achieving an 80% association within the first two years—a milestone that took previous sponsors longer to reach. This aggressive marketing approach significantly boosted Vivo’s market presence, positioning it ahead of competitors and underscoring the effectiveness of substantial investments in prominent events to achieve rapid brand recognition and market share growth.
Read the entire story here.
In conclusion, each brand enters IPL advertising with distinct objectives, ranging from enhancing visibility and launching products to boosting sales and loyalty. Understanding these goals allows for more tailored and effective marketing strategies during the IPL 2025 season.Want to win big during IPL 2025? Copy these strategies and make your brand shine in India’s most-watched cricket tournament. Visit this page to explore advertising options and submit your details today.
