Ad Campaigns
Kingfisher introduces Indian Prank League this IPL
MUMBAI: Alcobev brand, Kingfisher, has introduced the ‘Indian Prank League’ as part of its IPL campaign “Divided by teams, united by Kingfisher”.
The Indian Pranks League celebrates the teams and their spirit of the good times with a series of video commercials featuring players from Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore, who are seen pulling pranks off at their team mates. The campaign brings a fresh take to brand activations this IPL season.
As the nation tunes in to watch and support their favourite cricketers, Kingfisher rings in the good times with its campaign, bringing a sense of fun and youthfulness to this matchup of tough competitors. This year the teams and fans unite over a series of hilarious pranks.
United Breweries chief marketing officer Samar Singh Sheikhawat says, “For years, Kingfisher has been a catalyst in bringing rival teams together with a fun element off the fields to establish the brands campaign line for the IPL – Divided by teams, united by Kingfisher. We also give fans access to the players with our on-ground promotions getting them closer to their sports idols. This year around, the campaign focuses on showing fans the humorous personalities of the teams where they pull pranks on each other in good sporting spirit.”
As a part of the campaign, KIXP batsman Chris Gayle pranked his team-mate KL Rahul on his 26th birthday.
Commenting on the campaign and his recent birthday celebrations, Kings XI Punjab batsman and wicket keeper KL Rahul mentions, “Pulling pranks is one of the most fun element about being part of a team, I have pulled a couple of pranks on my fellow teammates as well. The new campaign reflects the spirit of camaraderie and the good times, exactly how we keep it on the grounds during our practice sessions, we all are always seen having a jovial time. My top Indian Prank league moment this season was on my birthday, pulled off by my fellow teammates. Its small moments like these which creates memories and keeps the spirit of good time going.”
J Walter Thompson Bangalore SVP and managing partner Kishore Tadepalli adds, “Despite the rivalry between teams, the players are thick friends with each other. They constantly pull each other’s legs, crack jokes and have a laugh off the field. Kingfisher brings the camaraderie alive for the sports fans and gives them a sneak peak to their lives beyond cricket.”
The ads will be showcased across mediums through the season, targeted towards cricket fans but can also be viewed on Kingfisher’s YouTube channel.
Kingfisher will also bring fans closer to their cricketing gods with engaging activities through the season across various platforms is to enable Kingfisher to reach out to millions of consumers across the country, ensuring it is the brand of choice right through the summer.
NATIONAL: Amazon Ads has laid out a sharply tech-led vision for the advertising industry in 2026, arguing that artificial intelligence, streaming TV and creator partnerships will combine to turn brand building into a more precise, performance-driven business.
At the heart of the shift, the company says, is the fusion of AI with Amazon’s vast trove of shopping, browsing and streaming signals, allowing advertisers to move beyond blunt reach metrics to campaigns designed around real customer behaviour.
“The future of advertising is not about reaching more people, but the right people with messages that resonate,” said Amazon Ads India head and vice president Girish Prabhu. “By combining AI with deep customer insights, we help brands move from broadcasting campaigns to having meaningful conversations wherever audiences spend their time.”
One of the biggest changes, according to Amazon Ads, will be the collapse of the wall between media planning and creative development. Retail media, powered by first-party data, is increasingly shaping everything from brand discovery to final purchase, pushing marketers to design campaigns around audience insight rather than internal instinct.
AI is also moving from a support tool to a creative engine. Agentic AI, which automates and accelerates production, is expected to make high-quality creative accessible even to small businesses, compressing weeks of work into hours and giving challengers the ability to compete with larger brands on speed and scale.
Behind the scenes, AI-driven analytics will take on a bigger role in campaign optimisation, identifying patterns, spotting opportunities and recommending actions that would previously have required teams of analysts.
Streaming TV is another big battleground. With India’s video streaming audience now above 600 million and connected TV users at 129.2 million in 2025, advertisers are set to treat streaming not just as a branding channel but as a performance engine, measured increasingly by sales, sign-ups and bookings rather than just reach.
Finally, Amazon Ads sees creators and contextual advertising reshaping how brands tell stories. Creators will act less like influencers and more like long-term partners, while scene-aware ads on streaming platforms will allow brands to insert hyper-relevant offers into the flow of what viewers are watching.
Taken together, Amazon Ads argues, these shifts mark a move towards advertising that is both more human and more measurable, where AI handles the complexity, and creativity does the persuading.
