Brands
Puma returns to IPL pitch, inks multi-year partnership with RCB
MUMBAI: After seven years, global sports brand Puma has made a comeback on the Indian Premier League pitch after signing a strategic long-term partnership with Royal Challengers Bangalore. Under the terms of the deal, Puma will be the official kit partner of the team from the upcoming IPL 2021 season. The sportswear major already has an ongoing association with RCB team captain Virat Kohli, which makes this partnership a natural progression for the brand.
Kohli said, “A global brand with a strong sporting vision and great quality products, [Puma’s] extensive distribution network through offline and online channels will ensure fans have access to RCB merchandise across the country. Over the years, I've had a great experience working with the brand and I’m excited to see Puma extend its partnership with the team that I play for.”
The brand will have exclusive retailing rights to RCB’s take down and replica jerseys, adding pan-India merchandise reach for the franchise across retail and e-commerce channels. Elevating the partnership beyond a traditional sports sponsorship model, the collection will also include a fanwear range of polo tees, shorts, pants, flipflops and caps.
Puma India & southeast Asia managing director Abhishek Ganguly said, “The team’s growing fan base and extensive social following makes RCB our ideal partner on the cricket pitch. Over the last few months, sport has had a positive influence by bringing about a sense of cheer among our consumers. With more people playing and following their favourite game, the culture of sport will definitely strengthen and evolve further. We are committed to fuelling this passion by continuing to invest in the right products, partners and players in the sporting ecosystem.”
Royal Challengers Bangalore vice president & head Rajesh V Menon said, “RCB’s ethos is to embody the philosophy of #PlayBold and truly embrace the challenger spirit in all that we do as a cricket team, a brand and business. We are positive that with Puma’s marketing capabilities, fans will have access to not only great merchandise but also some very interesting activations and engagements through the IPL season and beyond.”
RCB merchandise will be available at all Puma stores, on Puma.com RCB website, mobile app and the RCB Bar & Café from the first week of April.
Brands
Thermocool rolls out Navratri campaign on trains and stations
Nine day digital push blends devotion and storytelling for travellers
NEW DELHI: Thermocool Home Appliances has launched a high-visibility digital campaign during Navratri, turning railway stations and trains into storytelling spaces that blend culture with brand engagement.
The nine-day campaign spans key high-footfall locations including Katra, Anand Vihar, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj and Moradabad, along with the Vande Bharat Express on the Delhi-Katra route. Travellers encounter the campaign across station screens, concourses and onboard infotainment systems, making it hard to miss.
What sets the initiative apart is its narrative approach. Each day of Navratri is dedicated to one of the nine forms of Goddess Durga, with digital content explaining the significance and stories behind each day. The result is a campaign that does more than advertise, it informs and engages passengers in the middle of their journeys.
For director of sales and marketing Tanuj Gupta, the idea was to go beyond visibility. He noted that while Navratri is widely celebrated, awareness of its deeper meaning is often limited, and the campaign aims to bridge that gap in a simple and accessible way.
By tapping into high-traffic transit spaces, Thermocool is placing its message where audiences naturally gather, from busy platforms to train compartments. The repeated exposure across these touchpoints is designed to build familiarity while creating a more meaningful connection with consumers.
In a season marked by devotion and festivity, the campaign finds a clever middle ground. It turns everyday travel into a cultural moment, where storytelling travels alongside the passenger.
