The recent LinkedIn post by Vineeta Singh, co-founder of Sugar Cosmetics, featuring actor Kareena Kapoor Khan and designer-entrepreneur Masaba Gupta among others, garnered widespread attention. They were spotted watching a Women’s Premier League (WPL) match between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Similarly, images of actor Katrina Kaif supporting the UP Warriorz team at a WPL match, donning Kay Beauty jerseys, her cosmetics label, also made rounds on the internet. Kay Beauty has partnered with beauty platform Nykaa as the title sponsor for the team, further amplifying the brand’s presence.
In its second season, the Women’s Premier League (WPL) has witnessed LoveChild by Masaba joining forces with the Mumbai Indians women’s team as an official partner. Additionally, personal care and beauty brands such as Himalaya Wellness and Lotus Herbals have launched fresh campaigns during this period.
Beauty brands have made substantial investments in the WPL, with Royal Challengers Bangalore emerging victorious in the tournament. This demonstrates their pursuit of a first-mover advantage, despite the persistent disparity in viewership between men’s and women’s cricket.
Kaif, co-founder, Kay Beauty, said while announcing the partnership that the brand hopes to be associated with the team “for a long time to come”.Jinisha Sharma, director at Capri Sports, owner of UP Warriorz, said, “We are optimistic about the influence this collaboration will have, as we collectively navigate challenges .. for women in sports.”
Continue Exploring: Nykaa-KK Beauty eyes aggressive overseas expansion, Gulf region in focus
Vinit Karnik, Head of Sports, ESports and Entertainment at GroupM, said, “Our women’s cricketers are performing very well and their personal and professional stories are inspiring.. hence marketers are capitalising their popularity. It makes a lot of marketing sense to leverage the league from the beginning and watch it grow over the years.”
Nonetheless, executives note that both viewership and advertising rates for the WPL still lag significantly behind those of the men’s tournament. For instance, during IPL 2023, television broadcaster Disney Star reported a staggering 505 million viewers, as per data from the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India. In contrast, the finals of WPL 2023 attracted just over 10 million new viewers, as reported by broadcaster JioCinema.
Puma, which brought together Khan, Singh, boxing athlete Mary Kom, and Masaba Gupta to jointly watch a ‘ladies’ night at the WPL match mentioned earlier, said only 18% women who watch men’s cricket, also watch the women’s game.
Continue Exploring: Fenty Beauty by Rihanna set to make Indian debut through Nykaa partnership
“It’s disheartening to witness the vast viewership gap between men’s and women’s cricket, and we are committed to changing that narrative,” said Singh of Sugar Cosmetics.
On the gap with the men’s league, Karnik said, “Women’s cricket is at nascent stage and we need at least 5 to 7 yrs for it to get established and reap commercial benefits. I’m confident WPL will deliver positive impact to marketers over 4 to 5 years.”
However, the trend of women’s beauty brands investing in WPL signifies a departure from the past, when it was predominantly fitness and nutrition brands that sponsored women’s sports.
Pratik Mukherjee, brand head of LoveChild Masaba, said with the brand expanding to retail format across metros, the collaboration with Mumbai Indians women’s team would “accelerate awareness and solidify brand presence”.
Various industry reports suggest that beauty and personal care (BPC) companies are seeking out new avenues for investment at a time when the sector is poised for significant growth.
According to a report by Redseer Strategy Consultants and Peak XV, India’s beauty and personal care market is projected to achieve a compound annual growth rate of 10% from 2022 to 2027, reaching $30 billion by 2027. This growth trajectory outpaces markets such as China and Indonesia.
Continue Exploring: Beauty and personal care tops D2C sales charts in 2023: GoKwik Report
“Growth prospects of the Indian BPC industry are further strengthened in light of how under-penetrated the market is. Similar to the global market, pure-play BPC brands are leading the disruption in India,” the report noted.
