Why Sports Marketing? Scoring Big in Brand Engagement

The global sports sponsorship market hit $66 billion in 2023, but here's the uncomfortable truth: for every sponsorship success, there are ten expensive failures. With over 450 brands fighting for attention in the IPL alone, is your marketing budget truly standing out or simply drowning in a sea of logos? While marketers rush to mainstream sports, they are overlooking a fundamental reality: there's a sizeable, passionate audience for every sport—not just the headliners—delivering possibly superior engagement at a fraction of the cost. 

The GroupM ESP Sporting Nation 12th Edition report reveals that India's sports industry has reached an impressive INR 16,633 Cr ($1.98 billion), growing at 6% year-on-year. This remarkable evolution represents nearly sevenfold growth since 2008, demonstrating a robust 13% CAGR over 17 years. 

As brands compete for consumer attention in an increasingly cluttered and growing digital environment, sports marketing stands out as a beacon of authenticity and engagement. Let us explore why sports have become such a powerful vehicle for brands looking to make meaningful connections with their audiences. 

The Emotional Powerhouse of Sports Marketing 

Sports marketing transcends traditional advertising by tapping into powerful tribal emotions that transform passive viewers into passionate brand advocates. When India won the T20 Cricket World Cup in 2024, the country experienced collective euphoria that brands like Dream11 leveraged brilliantly—but similar emotional connections exist in every sport, from badminton matches that spark conversations from Kerala to Punjab to regional hockey tournaments that create passionate cultural dialogues, all at significantly lower investment thresholds. 

In India, cricket evokes similar emotional responses to the US Super Bowl. When MS Dhoni hit the winning six in the 2011 Cricket World Cup final, it created a moment of national euphoria that brands like Pepsi leveraged brilliantly. Star Sports' "Mauka Mauka" campaign during India-Pakistan cricket matches has become a cultural phenomenon, with each new advertisement eagerly anticipated by fans.  

This emotional engagement creates what marketers dream of: a receptive audience. Research from IEG shows that fans are 78% more likely to notice sponsors of their favorite sports than general advertising, and 55% more likely to purchase from those brands. These emotional connections often transcend traditional demographic boundaries. When India won the T20 Cricket World Cup in 2024, the country experienced a unifying moment—creating a golden opportunity for brands like Dream11 and CEAT Tyres. 

To get a more in-depth view on the trajectory of Indian sports, one only needs to look at the following stats. The GroupM report's breakdown of revenue streams shows: 

• Athlete endorsements: INR 1,224 Cr ($146 million) showing spectacular 32% growth 

• Sponsorship spending: INR 7,421 Cr ($883 million) with a more muted 1% growth 

• Media spending: INR 7,989 Cr ($951 million) with 7% growth 

Universal Reach: From Olympics to esports 

While the Olympics' 3.9 billion viewers and IPL's 400 million audience are impressive, they have created marketing environments where your brand becomes just one of hundreds fighting for attention. The real opportunity lies in the untapped potential of emerging sports—badminton following India's Olympic success, esports projected to reach 640 million viewers by 2025, or regional competitions—where engagement rates are many times higher, conversion costs are dramatically lower, and your brand can actually stand out rather than blend into the background noise. 

In India, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has changed sports marketing. What began as a cricket tournament has transformed into India's premier marketing platform, with sponsorship values that rival global sporting events. Brands like Vivo, Dream11, and Unacademy have used IPL partnerships to dramatically increase their market penetration and brand awareness.  

While cricket accounts for 85% of the overall industry revenue (INR 14,173 Cr/$1.687 billion), it only grew by 3% in the last year, highlighting potential stagnating returns in cricket investments. The real opportunity lies in the substantial but untapped potential of emerging and regional sports, which contributed 15% of revenues but showed a much more impressive 19% growth (reaching INR 2,461 Cr/$293 million).

The Pro Kabaddi League reaches 300 million viewers, regional cricket leagues like TNPL attract 150+ million, and even smaller regional competitions command 5-10 million engaged viewers. The growth of sports like badminton in India following PV Sindhu's Olympic success has created new marketing avenues for brands like Bank of Baroda and Yonex. 

Community and Tribal Marketing 

Sports fandom represents a unique form of tribalism. Fans do not just watch—they belong. This sense of community creates an incredible marketing opportunity where brands can be seen as integral to the fan experience rather than external entities. 

Smaller, more passionate fan bases often deliver stronger brand loyalty than massive, casual audiences—a fact most marketers miss entirely. Team affiliations often become part of fans' personal identities. Chennaiyin FC's "Super Machans" identity has built a powerful tribal connection with fans in Tamil Nadu. While this fan base might be a fraction of an IPL team's, brand partnerships with them can engage fans more than similar cricket investments.   

With 32% growth, athlete endorsements crossed the INR 1,000 Cr mark for the first time. While cricket stars contributed 86% of endorsement value, the rapid growth indicates increasing brand interest in athlete partnerships - precisely the authenticity-driven marketing approach that delivers results. Athletes in niche sports often achieve higher engagement-to-follower than cricket stars, offering brands significantly more efficient digital marketing opportunities without the price premium of mainstream sports. 

Targeted Audience Strategies 

Different sports attract specific demographic segments, allowing for precision marketing: 

Cricket 

Cricket reaches across demographic segments but with specific formats attracting different audience. Test cricket connects with traditional, often older viewers, while T20 attracts younger, urban, and especially women audience. Brands like CEAT Tyres have strategically placed their "Strategic Timeout" sponsorship in IPL matches to target urban middle-class consumers during high-attention moments. 

Golf 

Golf tends to reach affluent, professional demographics with higher disposable income. In India, Hero MotoCorp's long-standing association with golf tournaments targets upwardly mobile professionals, positioning their premium motorcycle brands with aspirational consumers. 

Soccer 

Soccer resonates strongly with younger, globally minded audiences. Football's popularity has allowed brands like Joy soaps and Kerala Blasters' sponsor Muthoot Finance to connect with passionate regional audiences. Even non-endemic Indian brands like Apollo Tyres have connected with teams like Manchester United for a truly global impact.  

Polo

Polo in India appeals primarily to an elite, affluent demographic, often tied to legacy and exclusivity due to its historical association with royalty and the military. Events like the Jaipur Polo Season attract high-net-worth individuals, including business tycoons and socialites.  

Esports 

Esports has surged in popularity among India’s tech-savvy, younger demographic, particularly Gen Z and millennials in urban and semi-urban areas with access to high-speed internet and gaming devices. Tournaments like the PUBG Mobile India Series or ESL India Premiership draw massive online viewership. Brands such as ASUS ROG (Republic of Gamers) sponsor these events to target this digitally native, trend-conscious audience. 

Pickleball 

Pickleball is gaining traction in India among a niche but growing segment of active, health-conscious individuals. Its accessibility appeals to community-driven players in cities like Mumbai and Bangalore. The World Pickleball League (WPBL) with well-known backers and celebrity involvement, targets a broad audience, blending sports and entertainment to appeal to urban families and fitness enthusiasts. 

The smartest marketers understand that audience relevance trumps audience size—precision targeting delivers superior ROI. Golf sponsorships reach affluent professionals with minimal competition for attention; esports connects with digitally-native Gen Z consumers at a tenth of mainstream costs; regional sports like kabaddi deliver deeply engaged community connections; and even hyper-local events like kho kho enable brands to integrate into the social fabric. 

Authenticity Through Athlete Endorsements 

Athlete partnerships offer a level of authenticity that traditional influencer marketing struggles to achieve. In India, many athletes, ranging from mega athletes, to the more micro and nano athletes, have followed this formula to varying degrees of success. Kohli’s associations with various brands have transcended traditional endorsement models to become authentic brand collaborations. Micro and nano athletes, such as regional cricketers or Olympic athletes, also make use smaller-scale but equally authentic collaborations. 

For example, for IPL 2025, Birla Opus Paints introduced the concept of “Indian Colours League”, a campaign designed to align with the spirit of the IPL. The initiative uses athletes from various IPL teams to emphasize how, even in the midst of intense rivalries, there is a shared sense of camaraderie, unity, and the opportunity to build a lasting legacy.  

Similarly, Manu Bhaker partnered with Puma India post-Olympics to promote their athletic footwear and apparel. Her authentic story of perseverance appeals to young, urban sports fans, and Puma uses her rising star status to target fitness-conscious consumers. 

Here's an insight most marketers miss: micro and nano athletes often deliver significantly higher engagement and conversion rates than mega-stars, despite lower follower counts. While Kohli's associations come with a price tag few can justify— and arguably diminishing returns as consumers grow numb to celebrity endorsements — athletes like Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker or rising regional stars offer authentic connections with deeply engaged followers who actually trust their recommendations and act on them. 

Marketing Versatility and ROI 

Sports marketing isn't a one-size-fits-all approach. Brands can leverage multiple activation strategies: 

Direct athlete / team sponsorships 

From jersey placements to naming rights, these high-visibility partnerships create immediate brand recognition. In the IPL, Dream11’s sponsorship of the many team’s gives them a jersey spot that provides continuous visibility, generating massive brand exposure. 

Venue Signage 

Strategic placement of brand logos in stadia captures attention during broadcasts and creates visual associations. Ambuja Cement's boundary rope branding during cricket matches ensures consistent visibility 

Digital Deliverables  

Social media activations extend reach beyond live events. Fantasy sports platform MPL's digital campaigns with cricket have generated millions of app downloads during tournament seasons. 

Asset-specific marketing initiatives 

Activations using sports assets create focused marketing opportunities. Tata Motors' Fan Zones during IPL matches create physical brand experiences that extend beyond passive viewership, generating product engagement and test drive opportunities. 

Cause marketing through sports 

Purpose-driven campaigns leverage athletes' platforms for social impact. JSW Steel's "Rukna Nahi" campaign with Paralympic athletes challenged disability stereotypes while increasing brand favorability by demonstrating authentic corporate purpose. 

Digital-first approach to marketing 

Digital advertising in sports grew by 25% in the last year (INR 3,588 Cr/$427 million), while television showed a 5% decline. This shift demonstrates the increasing importance of digital strategies in reaching fans. The formation of JioStar through the merger of Reliance and Disney's Indian assets is also an important marker for the maturity of Indian sports.  

For every successful sports marketing campaign, countless others fail to deliver meaningful ROI—the question isn't whether sports marketing works, it's whether YOUR sports marketing is working. While hundreds of brands compete for attention in cricket, niche sports like badminton, esports, and regional competitions offer targeted engagement at remarkably affordable rates.  

Esports is a prime example of high-engagement, low-cost marketing./ The math is compelling: esports fans are more likely to interact with brand content and make purchase decisions based on sponsorships compared to passive cricket viewers, while sponsorship costs are often lot lower than traditional sports—creating exponentially better ROI for marketers willing to look beyond the obvious. 

Beyond cricket, emerging sports provide remarkably efficient marketing channels. Niche sports like badminton offer targeted engagement at significantly lower investment levels. India’s success at the recent Olympics with athletes like Vinesh Phogat and Manu Bhaker, for instance, created marketing opportunities with minimal sponsorship costs compared to cricket megastars. 

Beyond esports and regional sports, hyper-local events offer brands a unique opportunity to tap into deeply rooted cultural traditions. With passionate, community-driven audiences, sponsoring such niche events fosters strong emotional connections and brand loyalty. Associations with heritage sports like Jallikattu enable brands to integrate into the social fabric, creating lasting impressions. 

The ROI potential of sports marketing continues to evolve with technology. Virtual advertising overlays during broadcasts can now be targeted to specific geographic markets, allowing multiple brands to occupy the same physical advertising space for different viewing audiences.  

The Marketing Playbook of the Future 

Sports marketing is more than a strategy—it's a dynamic platform that uniquely combines entertainment, emotion, and brand storytelling. For marketers willing to play the long game, sports offer a powerful vehicle to not just reach audiences, but to genuinely connect with them through shared passion and experience 

As India's sporting ecosystem continues to evolve beyond cricket to embrace multiple disciplines, brands have unprecedented opportunities to connect with diverse audiences. By diversifying sports marketing investments across disciplines like kabaddi, eSports, badminton, and emerging formats, brands can reduce marketing costs, create more authentic audience connections, access previously untapped demographic segments, and build innovative, forward-looking brand personalities 

Apart from these emerging sports, the GroupM Sporting Nation report has found that the following sports are also on an upward trajectory:  

• Participative sports like marathon running and pickleball gaining significant traction 

• Women's sports seeing increased commercial success, particularly with the Women's Premier League 

• Corporate investment in athlete development increasing across multiple disciplines 

The future of sports marketing belongs to the bold who understand that audience quality trumps quantity. Will you continue pouring your budget into oversaturated cricket markets or discover the untapped potential of India's diverse sports market? The choice—and the competitive advantage—is yours. 

Zupotsu is a martech platform on a mission to ‘digitize’ sports marketing. Zupotsu enables the discovery, engagement, and evaluation (the ‘DEE’ framework) for every sports and esports marketing asset. Please sign up at www.zupotsu.com. Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram. Reach out at ‘marketing@zupotsu.com’ for any queries.