Asian Paints has taken a strategic turn in its cricket marketing playbook, opting to become the ‘Colour Partner’ of the BCCI instead of pursuing traditional jersey logo branding. The decision marks a smart shift toward deeper brand association rather than fleeting on-jersey visibility.
As Colour Partner, Asian Paints gains a more immersive presence across stadiums, fan engagement touchpoints, digital assets, boundary walls, hospitality spaces and broadcast integrations. This aligns perfectly with what the brand represents—colour, transformation, visual appeal and everyday spaces. Cricket stadiums, with their massive viewership and emotional resonance, offer a large canvas to tell that story.
Industry experts believe jersey branding, despite its high visibility, often gets lost in clutter due to multiple sponsor logos. By contrast, the Colour Partner role gives Asian Paints a creative, differentiated identity directly tied to its core business. It’s also more cost-efficient, scalable, and adaptable to long-term campaigns.
The partnership allows Asian Paints to extend its messaging beyond product promotion, reinforcing cultural relevance during India’s biggest sporting moments. Through contextual content, stadium décor, digital activations and fan experiences, the brand can build recall without competing for space on a player’s uniform.
With cricket continuing to command unmatched influence in India, the move reflects how brands are rethinking sponsorships—prioritising thematic alignment over surface-level exposure. For Asian Paints, owning the ‘colour’ narrative inside cricket arenas may prove more impactful than a logo on a jersey.
As the cricketing season unfolds, marketers will be watching closely to see how this innovative partnership shapes brand engagement and sets a new benchmark for sports sponsorship strategy.
