iWorld
Cricket and festive shopping: A winning combination for brands
Mumbai: The festive season is now close enough for shoppers to seek amazing deals and fill their carts with the best offerings. As the excitement builds, brands are zeroing in on the most effective campaigns to capture the attention of these eager shoppers. And what better way to stand out than through the universal appeal of cricket? Starting 19 September , the lineup is thrilling, with the Indian team battling for glory against major rivals: Bangladesh, New Zealand, and South Africa. By integrating the excitement of high-stakes cricket into festive campaigns, brands can tap into collective enthusiasm, driving higher impact and resonance.
Team India will step on the crease for two Tests and three T20Is against Bangladesh from 19 September to 12 October, three Tests against New Zealand from 16 October to 5 November, and four T20Is against South Africa from 8 November to 15 November. These T20Is and test matches offer advertisers a prime opportunity to connect with audiences and add to the festivities across Navratri, Dussehra, Karwa Chauth, Dhanteras, Diwali, Bhaidooj and Chhath Puja.
With JioCinema and Sports18 holding the digital and TV rights for these matches respectively, the comprehensive coverage will enable highly targeted and impactful media campaigns. It means potentially reaching out to over 630 million passionate fans, across devices – wherever they are tuning in from! With millions of viewers opting to watch the matches on CTV devices, including 4K experiences, brands can also target premium audiences who seek top-quality experiences and are likely to make high-ticket purchases. Leveraging comprehensive coverage, innovative ad formats, and precision targeting across 80+ cohorts, brands can ensure their campaigns are engaging and effective throughout the festive cricket period.
The festive season is synonymous with increased shopping and spending. Over the past two years, this period has seen a remarkable 30 per cent increase in auto sales, reflecting a strong consumer appetite for high-value purchases and new vehicles during the celebrations. Credit card spending has risen by 1.3x, highlighting a significant boost in consumer confidence and willingness to spend on varied goods and services. Lifestyle and apparel sales have experienced a 1.6x increase, underscoring a heightened focus on personal and fashion-related purchases as consumers indulge in festive shopping.
This year, 50 per cent of consumers are preparing to increase their online spending during the festive season, driven by the convenience and variety offered by digital platforms. As Indians embrace celebratory shopping sprees, brands must leverage this surge in expenditure. With its broad appeal, cricket provides the ideal backdrop for marketing campaigns that tap into the season’s shopping trends and consumer enthusiasm.
Compared to Kantar India benchmarks, brands have witnessed a two times uplift across Brand KPIs by advertising on bilateral tournaments with JioCinema. The remarkable results underscore the significant impact of integrating cricket into advertising strategies. With the festive season approaching, the impact is anticipated to be even greater, and brands must stand ready at the crease to maximise their reach and engagement.
Brands can tap into Fence Ads for high visibility during live matches, Midroll Carousels to create engaging experiences during the breaks and Expandable CTAs to encourage fans to take immediate action. Social Banners and Scorecard Branding can help brands own the exciting conversations around live matches, enhancing the viewer experience. Branded VODs can facilitate deeper engagement by tapping into key match moments and Frame Ads ensure consistent visibility for the time viewers spend outside the live, consuming on-demand content.
Combining these formats with precision targeting across over 80 audience cohorts allows brands to tailor their messages to specific segments, maximising relevance, and impact. This targeted approach ensures that campaigns reach the right people, enhancing effectiveness and ensuring brand messages resonate strongly with their intended audiences. Brands must make the most of India’s excitement for cricket to make a memorable impact during the festive season.
iWorld
Tips Music CEO Hari Nair to step down
Girish Taurani and Sushant Dalmia to jointly steer the company as the hunt for a new chief begins
MUMBAI: A leadership shuffle is under way at Tips Music. Hari Nair, the company’s chief executive, will step down on April 30 as the music label begins the search for a successor.
The company said Girish Taurani, executive director, and Sushant Dalmia, chief financial officer, will jointly oversee operations during the transition while the board identifies a permanent replacement.
Nair joined Tips Music in 2023 and set about reshaping the veteran music label into a more digital, data-led enterprise. During his tenure, the company secured licensing and partnership deals with global platforms including Sony Music Publishing and TikTok, while renewing agreements with Warner Music Group.
Drawing on earlier experience in technology and entertainment, including a stint at ByteDance, Nair pushed the organisation towards a performance-driven culture. He built a brand partnerships division and introduced proprietary software systems aimed at strengthening digital distribution and data capabilities.
Kumar Taurani, chairman and managing director, credited Nair with embedding a data-led culture within the company and driving revenue growth in line with shareholder commitments.
In his resignation note, Nair said that after helping transition the label into a modern, digitally focused and process-driven organisation, the time had come to pursue his next leadership challenge.
The leadership change comes as the broader Tips Films group shows signs of financial stabilisation. In the third quarter of FY26 the company reported a net loss of Rs 2.86 crore, narrowing sharply from Rs 14.2 crore in the previous quarter. For the nine months ended December, losses stood at Rs 12.37 crore.
Yet revenue told a more volatile story. Income from operations slid to Rs 4 crore in Q3 FY26 from Rs 56 crore in the preceding quarter, taking total operating income to Rs 4.56 crore.
For a company built on a catalogue of more than 34,000 tracks and decades of Bollywood hits, the next chief will inherit both a digital engine and a volatile music market. The playlist may be familiar, but the next act at Tips Music is only just beginning.
