MAM
IPL 2024 expected to drive 50 per cent surge in influencer marketing collaborations: Qoruz Report
Mumbai: As the Indian Premier League (IPL) continues to captivate millions, its impact on Social Media engagements is evident. The IPL is not just a cricket tournament, it’s a social phenomenon that brings fans together, creating a buzz that goes beyond the cricket field. With the rise of digital platforms, the IPL has become a hotspot for influencers to connect with their audience, sharing moments of thrill, passion, and celebration. This trend is only growing, as highlighted in a recent industry report by Qoruz, which forecasts a 50 per cent increase in influencer collaborations during the IPL 2024 season.
The report examines the substantial growth seen last year, with influencer mentions during the IPL 2023 season showing a 45 per cent increase compared to 2022. This surge was led mainly by sports influencers, who made up 54 per cent of the influencer collaboration share, followed by those in entertainment, beauty, fashion, and lifestyle. Such dynamic interactions underscore the opportunity for brands to partner with the right influencers, leveraging trending content to enhance brand visibility and connection with audiences.
Leading the influencer marketing initiatives during the 2023 IPL season, JioCinema achieved remarkable success with a staggering 75 million reach across 77 influencers, setting a new standard for social media engagement. Following closely, Dream11’s collaborations also garnered impressive results with 41 million reach from 15 influencers. Other brands such as Zee Music Company, Gugobet, JeetWin, KFC, Puma, Cricbuz, Adidas, Swiggy, Reliance Foundation, Zomoto, Myntra, and Ubon significantly contributed to the vibrant influencer marketing landscape, each leveraging unique strategies to enhance brand awareness and consumer engagement amidst the cricket excitement.
Qoruz the co-founder and CEO Praanesh Bhuvaneswar highlights the changing dynamics, “The IPL’s widespread appeal and the engaging content created around it offer a prime opportunity for brands to make significant inroads in terms of visibility and engagement. As social media influencers continue to play a crucial role in shaping the narrative around the IPL, brands that strategically partner with these personalities stand to gain immensely.”
“The ongoing IPL season transcends the boundaries of cricket, transforming into a cultural phenomenon that captures millions of hearts. It presents a golden chance for brands to engage in innovative storytelling and create authentic connections. Leveraging the right influencers during this vibrant period allows brands to amplify their voice, ensuring their message resonates with the audience’s enthusiasm for the game. With an evident surge in influencer collaborations this season, our focus is on crafting impactful narratives that echo with the audience’s passion, fostering a deeper connection with the cricket-loving community,” said Mothi Venkatesh, Head of Growth at Qoruz.
The report anticipates a significant rise in influencer marketing activity during the ongoing IPL 2024, with a 50 per cent increase in influencer shoutouts expected. This highlights the growing importance of partnering with the right influencers to connect with fans engaged in the season’s excitement. With the IPL uniting both die-hard cricket enthusiasts and casual viewers, brands have a unique opportunity to leverage influencer marketing and reach a massive audience during this highly anticipated event.
Brands
Boeing appoints Barun as head of FP&A for global engineering function
Seasoned finance leader to steer budgets and strategy across global centres
BENGALURU: Boeing’s finance cockpit has a new pilot, and he is no stranger to turbulence or transformation. Boeing has appointed Barun as head of FP&A for global engineering, placing him at the centre of financial strategy for its worldwide engineering and technology operations.
Based in Bengaluru, Barun steps into a role that is as expansive as it is critical. He will serve as the primary finance lead for Boeing’s Engineering and Technology Centers globally, working closely with executive leadership to shape financial decisions, manage complex budgets, and design scalable finance processes that support the company’s growing engineering footprint.
In a note announcing his move Barun said, “I’m excited to share that I’ve joined Boeing Global Engineering. This opportunity is incredibly meaningful to me not just from a professional standpoint, but also for what Boeing represents globally.” He added that he looks forward to contributing to an organisation that continues to shape the future of aerospace and innovation.
Barun’s mandate spans strategic financial leadership, operational oversight, and stakeholder engagement. From directing large-scale budgets and schedules to influencing long-term organisational goals, the role blends financial discipline with business foresight. He will also lead cross-functional teams and partner with finance colleagues worldwide to support engineering programmes across geographies, including India.
The appointment caps a long stint at Juniper Networks, where Barun spent over a decade, most recently as finance senior manager. There, he led FP&A for global product business units and G&A functions, driving budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning. He also played a key role in enterprise-wide transformation, including spearheading an Oracle to SAP ERP migration and building advanced analytics capabilities using tools such as Tableau and SAP Analytics Cloud.
His earlier career includes finance leadership roles at Sony India Software Centre, Cognizant Technology Solutions, and Mphasis, where he focused on financial planning, governance frameworks, and operational efficiency across global delivery centres.
A chartered accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Barun brings nearly two decades of experience across financial planning, digital transformation, and analytics-led decision making.
His appointment comes at a time when global engineering operations are becoming increasingly complex and distributed, requiring sharper financial oversight and agile planning. With Barun at the helm of FP&A for engineering, Boeing appears to be tightening its financial playbook as it looks to scale innovation with discipline.
