MAM
Nickelodeon launches new eye wear collection
MUMBAI: After foraying into the eye wear category last year, Nickelodeon is back with a new collection of eye accessories this summer in association with Ganko Opticians.
The channel has launched a range of funky sunglasses with their most popular Nicktoons – SpongeBob SquarePants and Ninja Hattori, with Dora soon to follow.
Viacom18 Media SVP – consumer products and communications Sandeep Dahiya said, “The eye wear range we had launched with Ganko last year was very well received and appreciated by our consumers. The launch of the sunglasses range is the next logical step. The entire collection is colorful, vibrant and depicts the key characteristics of our famous Nickelodeon characters – SpongeBob SquarePants, Ninja Hattori and Dora the Explorer.”
This association with Ganko Opticians will include a 360-degree marketing promotion that will include on-ground activities, digital and radio that will help in consumers engagement. To get kid‘s excited, Dora the Explorer will also be visiting Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Kochi, Bangalore and Lucknow for a month long promotion, where she will visit prominent optical stores and interact with fans.
Ganko Opticians director Bhavin Kothari added, “Nickelodeon is one of the leading kid‘s channel in the country and we are happy to continue our association with them in another new category. We hope that this new range is equally popular among the kids as the previous one. We are sure that Nicktoon‘s appeal and Ganko‘s 70 year old experience will help change the way kids wear their eyewear.”
Brands
Kingfisher signs three-year IPL partnership
Packaged water brand signs on as ‘good times partner’ for 2026–28 cycle
MUMBAI: Kingfisher Premium Packaged Drinking Water is betting big on cricket’s biggest stage, sealing a three-year partnership with the Board of Control for Cricket in India to sharpen fan engagement at the TATA Indian Premier League.
The brand, owned by United Breweries, will serve as the official “good times partner” for the men’s IPL from 2026 to 2028, extending a relationship that began with the Women’s Premier League. The move signals a broader push to embed itself deeper into live sport, with a focus on immersive, consumer-led experiences rather than conventional sponsorship visibility.
At the heart of the tie-up is a suite of fan-first activations spanning broadcast, stadiums and digital channels. These include the “Kingfisher Bird Cam”, offering a branded spider-cam perspective during live matches, and the “Good Times Zone”, an in-stadium entertainment hub during play-offs aimed at amplifying match-day buzz. The brand will also back IPL fan parks, elevate public screening experiences and run digital contests tied to key moments through the season.
Vikram Bahl, chief marketing officer, United Breweries, said cricket in India “is more than a sport, it is a shared cultural moment”, adding that the IPL brings that energy alive at scale. “For Kingfisher Premium Packaged Drinking Water, being present at the heart of these moments, in partnership with the BCCI, is a natural extension of what we stand for. Through this association, we aim to enrich how fans experience the game… making every match more immersive, social and memorable,” Bahl said.
Devajit Saikia, honorary secretary, BCCI, said the IPL “has always been at the forefront of redefining sports entertainment and fan engagement”. He added that the collaboration would fuse cricket fandom with “innovative fan experiences that extend beyond the stadium”, helping create memorable moments for audiences nationwide.
For United Breweries, part of the HEINEKEN group, the play is clear: move from passive branding to active participation in the fan journey—on screens, in stands and across social spaces. With millions tuning in and turning up each season, the IPL remains the country’s most potent marketing theatre. The question now is whether “good times” can translate into lasting brand recall in a market where visibility is easy, but engagement is hard-won.
