MAM
Fun and wonder key to capturing kids’ attention
MUMBAI: What goes behind capturing the hearts and minds of Indian kids? That was what Walt Disney Television International – India’s Toon Disney marketing head Mubina Ansari and senior executive (marketing) Anand Roy dwelled on at the Promax&BDA conference in Mumbai today.
“Fun and wonder are important elements to capture kids’ attention. However kids grow old younger as they are exposed to much more at a very young age. Also the fact of the matter is that music is also one element that connects well with the kids. Close to 65 per cent of Indian kids aged 9 – 14 prefer to listen to music than watch TV,” said Ansari. Keeping these statistics in mind, Toon Disney used music to establish its channel identity.
Kids between the age of 9 – 14 years in India also have a strong sense of belonging to a group (81 per cent) and friends are important to almost 95 per cent of them. Also interesting is the fact that 92 per cent of Indian kids aged 9 – 14 years enjoy creating and inventing new things.
Disney took interactivity to the next level by creating an animated turtle – Crush (from Finding Nemo) in Turtle Talk, wherein Crush interacts with kids and informs them about marine life.
Quoting Disney founder Walt Disney, Ansari said, “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world!”
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.
