Out-of-the-box stories, catchy tunes and superstars galore – 2024 had some quite creative IPL ads!
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has become an annual utsav that captivates millions of cricket fans at home and worldwide. Come IPL, and brands scurry to leverage this immense viewership to showcase their most innovative and engaging advertisements.
The latest IPL season too brought forth an array of creative TV ads that had us humming their taglines even as we went about our day. Here are the top 10 most engaging IPL ads you don’t want to miss!
(This list is in no particular order. But Cred’s ad has to be my personal favourite.)
Contents
- 1 Check out the most creative IPL Ads of 2024
- 1.1 1. Dream11 – “Team Se Bada Kuch Nahi”
- 1.2 2. Cadbury – “Thank You First Coach”
- 1.3 3. CRED – “Director’s Cut: Ft. Rajamouli and David Warner”
- 1.4 4. Naukri.com – “For the Ambitious”
- 1.5 5. Zomato – “Match Ho Toh Zomato”
- 1.6 6. Campa Cola – “Naye India ka Apna Thanda”
- 1.7 7. Upstox – “Cut the Kit Kit”
- 1.8 8. MakeMyTrip – “Breathless 2.0 ft. Shankar Mahadevan”
- 1.9 9. Jio Cinema – “Sab Yahaan, Aur Kahaan”
- 1.10 10. Rapido – “Rapido Auto=5 minute auto”
- 2 Conclusion
Check out the most creative IPL Ads of 2024
1. Dream11 – “Team Se Bada Kuch Nahi”
The relationship between cricket and fantasy sports is fairly new but Dream11’s “Team Se Bada Kuch Nahi” IPL ads were a massive hit during 2024. Over the past years, it has sold the dream of winning big by playing fantasy cricket to the Indian audiences.
This year, with a dash of star power, humour and creativity, the campaign shows cricketers and other celebrities pitted against each other – all in the name of supporting their team. From Rishab Pant declining Rohit Sharma permission to enter his team’s bus to Suniel Shetty disowning KL Rahul as his son-in-law and instead directing his attention to Rohit Sharma, his favourite team’s player, the rivalry got intense – and highly entertaining.
Oh, and this campaign led to a 30% increase in app downloads during the IPL season. Impactful, no?
2. Cadbury – “Thank You First Coach”
Cadbury’s “Thank You First Coach” campaign tugged at all our heartstrings as the IPL ads paid tribute to the unsung heroes who nurture young cricketing talent – their first coaches. Featuring heartwarming moments of cricketers like Suryakumar Yadav and KL Rahul expressing gratitude to their mentors, the campaign highlighted the importance of guidance and support in achieving success.
This emotionally charged ad resonated with audiences, resulting in a 25% increase in Cadbury sales during the IPL season – just goes to show how far-reaching good, emotional storytelling can be.
3. CRED – “Director’s Cut: Ft. Rajamouli and David Warner”
David Warner’s love for all things Hyderabadi is pretty well known. And CRED’s “Director’s Cut: Ft. Rajamouli and David Warner” capitalised on just that to become one of the most talked-about IPL ads of the season. The ad features cricketer David Warner’s antics as he convinces director SS Rajamouli to grant him a role in his movie in exchange for discount on match tickets. With unexpectedly hilarious acting skills from David Warner, the quirky ad effectively highlights the exclusivity and benefits of using CRED.
The other ads in the campaign featured Leander Paes and Ila Arun were hilarious too, but Warner confidently dancing off-beat on a full-blown Tollywood period drama set will remain with me for some time.
This campaign led to a 25% increase in user engagement and significantly boosted brand recall – in my humble opinion, humour will always be the undisputed king of advertising!
4. Naukri.com – “For the Ambitious”
Naukri.com’s “For the Ambitious” IPL ads targeted the ambitious professionals of India. It struck a chord, mainly because it understood the present and upcoming workforce’s sentiment of not settling for the bare minimum at work.
Just a 15% increment? No – we want more! This premise creatively set a rousing tone for the new and free-spirited generation of workers, all the while emphasising the role of Naukri.com in the journey. The campaign led to a 20% increase in new registrations on the platform during the IPL season.
5. Zomato – “Match Ho Toh Zomato”
IPL without food? Impossible.
Zomato’s “Match Ho Toh Zomato” campaign cleverly integrated the excitement of IPL match days with food delivery. Ranveer Singh’s trademark energy paired with Chris Gayle’s vibe and the banter about Zomato’s ongoing pronunciation crisis (one that Zomato themselves created and promoted) makes for a light, fun ad.
The campaign drove a 40% increase in orders during match hours, reinforcing Zomato’s position as the go-to food delivery app for cricket enthusiasts.
6. Campa Cola – “Naye India ka Apna Thanda”
If, after watching this ad, you were slightly hit in the face by a wave of nostalgia, trust me, there’s a reason. Conceptualised, written and directed by Prasoon Joshi, and sung by Shankar Mahadevan, it’s the star power behind the camera that works magic for Campa Cola’s “Naye India ka Apna Thanda” campaign. The larger-than-life advertisement, with its rousing music, is reminiscent of ads in the 2000’s that made full use of popular music composers and lyricists. And I’m all for those kinds of commercials to make a comeback in the advertising world.
One of the most visually striking of the IPL ads this season, it reintroduced the iconic brand to a new generation pretty effectively. The nostalgic yet modern approach resonated with both older and younger audiences, resulting in a 30% increase in sales and a successful brand revival during the IPL season.
7. Upstox – “Cut the Kit Kit”
Upstox’s “Cut the Kit Kit” IPL ads cut through the clutter of the usually (ahem) boring and unnecessarily preachy (no one likes being told to save money instead of buying a beautiful but useless things) ads about investing.
Taking the relatable premise of people expressing their interest in trading and immediately having to endure unsolicited (and most of the times, unhelpful) advice about it, the ad encourages people to hop onto the app for expert advice. This straightforward and relatable approach led to a 25% increase in new user sign-ups.
8. MakeMyTrip – “Breathless 2.0 ft. Shankar Mahadevan”
MakeMyTrip’s recent IPL ads saw celebrities ranging from Shankar Mahadevan to Prabhu Deva and even Bhidu (without his jhaad though) being featured – without their faces ever being shown! Bold and creative, it tells the audience that the asli star of the ad is Make My Trip, so focus on us!
My personal favourite from the campaign has to be the “Breathless 2.0” with Shankar Mahadevan’s iconic song reimagined into quite a catchy tune advertising MMT’s offerings. Overall, the campaign led to a 30% increase in bookings, making it a significant success.
But I have to say, I’m still stuck on the series of MMT ads where Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt would play hilarious caricatures in a variety of situations, across settings and cultures like this one, which you will find in my YouTube search history every few months.
9. Jio Cinema – “Sab Yahaan, Aur Kahaan”
Jio Cinema’s “Sab Yahaan, Aur Kahaan” featured people glued to their phones, watching IPL in the midst of various situations with situation-apt cricket commentary in the background. There are quite a few IPL ads that make use of cricket commentary in non-cricket situations and despite this being just another addition to them, it still makes you smile because of how well the commentary fits to each situation. MS Dhoni features in one of them, and plays his role so well that it makes me wonder how cricketers randomly become adept at acting.
The campaign drove a 20% increase in subscriptions of Jio Cinema, establishing them as the main platform to watch sports and entertainment.
10. Rapido – “Rapido Auto=5 minute auto”
Rapido’s IPL ads had me humming “5 Nahi Toh 50” at random moments throughout the day. While the ads itself weren’t the most creative in terms of storytelling, they make the list due to the catchy tagline and relatable situations, emphasising Rapido’s 5-minute auto guarantee.
This approach drove their app downloads and ride bookings up by 25%.
Conclusion
The cricketing season came and went, and left behind in its wake some quite creative commercials. The top 10 IPL ads made full use of the power of storytelling, emotional resonance, and all the star power that the franchise is known for. Whether it’s boosting app downloads, increasing product sales, or enhancing brand recall, the impact of these creative ads, once again, underlines the importance of innovative marketing during the much-coveted IPL advertising spot.