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Max to spend Rs 100 mn on marketing IPL
MUMBAI: Max, the official broadcast partner of the Indian Premier League, has unveiled its 360-degree pan-India marketing campaign themed ‘Aisa Mauka Aur Kahan Milega’ to celebrate the ‘mauka’ (opportunity) which IPL brings for millions of cricket fans in every walk of life.
Max has upped its marketing budget by 20 per cent from the previous year and is expected to spend around Rs 100 million, say sources.
The campaign has a series of four short films. Each of these films has a light hearted humorous theme and describes what IPL provides to different people. The final film shows how a town in India gears up to watch the IPL.
“The theme that we have taken for the IPL this year is ‘Aisa Mauka Aur Kahan Milega’ because the IPL has always been about opportunity. What we have done is we have taken a more humanistic, consumer and viewer kind of approach,” Max Senior VP Marketing and Communications Gaurav Sheth told Indiantelevision.com.
Sheth said a lot of consumer research has gone into designing the campaign, “Every year we do a lot of consumer research which is both quantitative and qualitative like how is the brand IPL doing and what viewers think of it. The insights derived from the research played a key role in creating each of the films. A case in point is that of a grandmother who said how the IPL was an opportunity for her to see her entire family come together.”
Stretching across a period of six-weeks till the launch of the tournament, the campaign will have a rollout across mass media including print, radio, Internet, outdoor, mobile, BTL and out of home apart from the commercials on television.
“The focus area is television channels across genres like news, general entertainment, music, and regional. There will be a lot of front page print ads as we draw closer to the event. There will be a major outdoor blitz before the IPL,” Sheth added.
The marketing has also been designed keeping in mind the flavour of the local markets. The company is also looking at the digital medium in a big way and is currently engaged in talks with Internet and mobile operators who can provide customised ideas to engage with users.
Max‘s creative agency JWT created the campaign while Keroscene Films is the production company.
JWT VP and senior creative director Priya Pardiwalla said, “For this edition of the DLF IPL, we have created a campaign that‘s very real and based on strong human insights. Whether it‘s Phuphaji, the friends’ film or India accumulating outside a TV showroom, the campaign reflects true life experiences.”
MAM
Barista partners Ginny Weds Sunny 2 with mango campaign
Cafe chain blends cinema buzz with summer menu and 20 per cent offer.
MUMBAI: Love may brew slowly, but marketing clearly doesn’t especially when coffee meets cinema and mangoes steal the spotlight. Barista Coffee Company has partnered with the upcoming hindi film Ginny Weds Sunny 2 as its official beverage partner, in a move aimed at tapping into youth culture through entertainment-led engagement. The collaboration is not just a logo placement exercise. Instead, Barista is translating the film’s high-energy vibe into its cafés with a themed summer menu titled “Main Hoon Mango”, accompanied by a limited-period 20 per cent discount on combo offerings across outlets.
Actors Medha Shankr and Avinash Tiwary feature in the campaign, seen engaging with the mango-themed menu inside Barista cafés, a visual cue designed to blur the lines between reel and real-life consumption moments.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in how consumer brands are leveraging hindi film industry not just for visibility, but for immersive, on-ground engagement. By embedding the film’s narrative into its product experience, Barista is aiming to drive footfall, especially among younger audiences who increasingly seek experiential touchpoints over traditional advertising.
Barista Coffee Company CEO Rajat Agrawal described the partnership as both a branding and growth play, focused on expanding reach beyond the existing customer base and aligning with evolving consumer preferences.
The emphasis on a seasonal, flavour-led hook mango, one of India’s most culturally resonant ingredients adds a timely layer to the campaign, aligning with summer consumption trends while riding on the film’s promotional momentum.
For Barista, the move is part of a larger positioning shift. Rather than operating purely as a coffee retail chain, the brand is increasingly framing itself as a lifestyle destination, one that intersects with entertainment, conversation and shared experiences. By integrating cinema into its physical spaces, Barista is effectively turning cafés into micro-extensions of the film’s universe, where consumers do not just watch a story unfold but participate in it sip by sip.
The 20 per cent offer further nudges trial, lowering the barrier for consumers to engage with the themed menu while amplifying recall through a tangible incentive.
Brand-film collaborations are hardly new, but their execution is evolving. Where earlier partnerships relied on co-branded ads or product placements, the current playbook leans towards immersive storytelling and retail integration.
In that sense, Barista’s “Main Hoon Mango” push is less about promotion and more about participation inviting consumers to experience a slice of the film within a familiar, everyday setting. As the film industry continues to act as a cultural amplifier, such partnerships underline a growing truth, in today’s attention economy, it is not enough to be seen brands must be experienced.
And if that experience comes with a mango twist and a cinematic backdrop, all the better.
