Mumbai: Tata Sierra, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Tata AIG, Rapido, Google AI Mode and Wonder Cement emerged as the biggest beneficiaries of their association with IPL 2026, according to Ormax Trac20: Ad & Sponsorship Effectiveness Research for IPL 2026, released by media consulting firm Ormax Media.
The six brands recorded the highest Ormax Mpact Scores among the 54 brands evaluated in the study. Ormax Mpact is the company’s proprietary brand-lift measurement tool that assesses statistically significant movement across key brand metrics, including top-of-mind awareness, spontaneous awareness, total awareness, consideration, and purchase or usage intent.
The research is based on 15,000 online interviews, including 7,500 conducted before the IPL season and an equal number after the tournament. Each of the 54 brands was evaluated among 300 to 500 consumers in both phases across its relevant target audience. The study covered urban India, including IPL franchise home cities and other major commercial markets across metros, mini-metros and smaller towns.
According to the report, the top-performing brands adopted varied advertising and sponsorship strategies to maximise consumer impact. Tata Sierra leveraged its title sponsorship through in-stadium branding, commentary mentions, its role as the official trophy car for the IPL final and the ‘Escape Mediocre’ campaign. Cadbury Dairy Milk built engagement through its ‘Khaas Seat’ initiative, creating a dedicated section at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium for first-time match attendees.
Tata AIG integrated its ‘Fan Box’ activation into the live match experience, supported by commentary integrations and campaigns across television and streaming platforms. Rapido, an official broadcast sponsor across JioHotstar and Star Sports, drove visibility through its ‘First Ride Free’ campaign, while Google AI Mode utilised contextual cricket integrations and commentator references to showcase its AI-powered search experience. Wonder Cement combined its Official Umpire Partner status with in-match branding, DRS-related viewer engagement and its ‘Farq Nazar Aayega’ campaign.
Commenting on the findings, Keerat Grewal, Head: Business Development (Streaming, Television & Brands), Ormax Media said, “Cricket delivers exceptional scale, but scale by itself does not guarantee brand impact. The six strongest-performing brands in our research adopted very different approaches, but their campaigns were united by clear messaging, contextual relevance and consistent reinforcement across multiple consumer touchpoints. The report is intended to help brands and media agencies make more informed decisions around cricket advertising, extending well beyond the IPL to international cricket and other major tournament properties.”
Beyond ranking individual brands, the report also compares the effectiveness of different forms of cricket marketing, including title sponsorships, tournament sponsorships, in-match and in-stadium branding, commentary-led integrations, franchise partnerships and conventional advertising.
The findings analyse how the type of association, continuity of visibility, creative execution and integration with the live viewing experience influence brand outcomes. The report also provides comparative benchmarks and strategic insights for brands and media agencies planning advertising and sponsorship investments across cricket properties.
