Brands
Elver goes full toss with #ElverXI and cricketer collabs to launch Neo Buds with a bang
MUMBAI: Elver has swung for the fences.
The electronics upstart has launched its latest campaign, #ElverXI, and it’s pulling in cricketers faster than a T20 powerplay. With its first proudly ‘Make in India’ product—the Neo Buds—now in play, Elver is scoring big with both tech buffs and die-hard cricket fans.
The Mumbai-based brand unveiled the campaign on 15 April, teaming up with a full-blown squad of cricketers including Vijay Shankar, Shashank Singh, Naman Dhir, Ashutosh Sharma, Shahrukh Khan, Abhinav Manohar, Swapnil Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Vaibhav Arora and Arshin Kulkarni.
Each player, much like each Elver product feature, brings something special to the table—or in this case, the pitch.
The result? A cheeky, cricket-themed showcase of gadgets that are slicker than a Ravindra Jadeja run-out.
The idea behind #ElverXI is simple: every cricketer becomes the face of a unique product feature, from active noise cancellation (ANC) to long battery life.
Elver cleverly aligns sports performance with tech finesse—because let’s face it, if your earbuds can survive a net session with Ashutosh Sharma, they can probably handle your Monday Zoom calls.
Speaking of Sharma, the brand’s first campaign video stars the man himself. It’s a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the classic ‘Sharma Ji ka ladka’ trope—except this one isn’t cracking IIT entrance papers, he’s cracking sixes. And with the Neo Buds’ ANC Mode, he’s shown dodging distractions like bouncers—both on and off the pitch. Sharma’s recent breakout performance makes him the perfect poster boy for this audio-powered, cricket-mad campaign.
Elver’s Neo Buds are no slouch in the spec department either. With 13mm drivers, IPX4-rated sweat resistance, and a whopping 100 hours of standby battery life, these aren’t just budget earbuds—they’re match-winners in their own right.
Commenting on the campaign, Elver brand manager Harsh Bhandari said, “We’re excited to bring this campaign to life through cricket, a sport that unites millions in India. It’s a perfect opportunity for fans to connect with both the essence of the game and our brand’s milestones, including the launch of our first ‘Make in India’ product, Neo Buds.”
Running until the end of May, #ElverXI will continue to bowl over audiences across social media, complete with contests, giveaways, and a shot at becoming the 11th player in Elver’s digital dream team. Fans can flex their trivia, comment game, and meme skills to win exclusive merch and products.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
