Should we rethink the narrative for Indian women cricketers in ads?

When was the last time a campaign featuring a woman cricketer stood out and caught your attention? It’s most likely that you wouldn’t be able to recall one. Does it have to do with the relative lack of popularity of women cricketers? Or could it be that the campaigns featuring them lack the creative flair of the ones featuring their male counterparts? 

Women’s cricket in India is having a moment, and it’s about time. With the rise of tournaments like the Women’s Premier League (WPL), more eyes are on women cricketers than ever before. But if one is being honest, there’s a bit of a creative slump when it comes to how advertisers portray these athletes. Sure, they’re often hailed as barrier-breakers and pioneers, which is fantastic, but here’s the thing—these narratives are starting to feel like a well-worn playbook. What’s missing is that spark, that out-of-the-box creativity that makes people sit up and go, "Whoa, I didn't see that coming!"

Could it be that the lack of creativity in ads might be hindering the popularity of women’s cricket in India as opposed to other women’s sports globally. 

When you look at advertising from a global perspective, women athletes have been featured in some of the most remarkable and clutter-breaking campaigns. Be it Nike’s ‘I Feel Pretty’ featuring Maria Sharapova or Gatorade’s ‘Love Means Everything’ featuring Serena Williams or Google’s recent one titled ‘Dear Sydney’, global campaigns have shined with their experimentation and creativity.

As the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 begins, women’s cricket needs more than just the usual campaign to be ticked off from a brand’s topical list. 

Same story, different player: Where’s the fun?

Imagine turning on the TV or scrolling through social media and seeing yet another ad about a female cricketer breaking barriers. While it's essential to recognise the uphill battle these athletes have faced, which is tremendous in this man’s world, do all campaigns have to revolve around that? Neha Singh, Vice President at Enormous Brands, sums it up perfectly: "The progression of the narrative around women athletes mirrors the stages of a social or cultural movement.” She’s right—this theme is timely and reflective of society’s changing views on women’s roles in sports and beyond.

Singh was involved in a campaign with Royal Challenge Packaged Drinking Water and cricketer Smriti Mandhana, under the #ChooseBold theme, which celebrated Mandhana’s defiance of conventions.

“The narrative we built aims to inspire individuals to make bold choices, anchoring it in the broader societal acceptance of strong female athletes,” says Singh. While such campaigns have been instrumental in creating visibility, Singh acknowledges that this approach alone won’t suffice in the long run. “The plateau that follows this barrier-breaking narrative will require a shift in focus to sustain momentum,” she explains. For female cricketers to maintain their spotlight and go beyond a niche audience, future campaigns must celebrate their prowess as athletes rather than simply framing them as icons of resistance or empowerment.

"Indian audiences, influenced by politics, movies, and cricket, have historically driven advertisers to focus on male-centric narratives. However, with the growing importance of female consumers, especially in sectors like automotive, the industry needs to adapt its storytelling. A standout ad is a combination of multiple ingredients that sees an easy acceptance from society at large, which is not gender-driven or lacks creativity," explains Ravi Chawla, MD & CEO, of Gulf Oil Lubricants India Ltd. 

Why do male cricketers get to have all the fun

Here’s where things get even more interesting. Have you noticed how male cricketers seem to get all the fun, quirky, and downright hilarious ad campaigns? Think of the ‘Indiranagar ka Gunda’ ad featuring Rahul Dravid. Who could’ve predicted that Dravid—the calm, collected ‘Wall’ of Indian cricket—would end up in an ad where he’s smashing rearview mirrors in a traffic jam? That’s the kind of unpredictability that goes viral.

One glaring issue in the portrayal of female athletes in advertising is the lack of creativity compared to campaigns featuring male athletes. Suyash Khabya, Chief Creative Officer at The Womb, pulls no punches when highlighting this disparity. “The kind of creative firepower we see in male sports is a thousand times better than in female sports,” he asserts. Khabya highlights that the narrative of "rising stars" or "breaking barriers" has been done to death, and now, brands risk becoming repetitive if they don’t push the envelope.

Think the recent campaigns featuring Rohit Sharma, be it for Swiggy Instamart or Mutual Funds, that focus on his publicly known forgetful nature and use of words like “Yeh”, and “Woh”. These ads generate humour and forge a connection because they focus on Sharma’s humane characteristics and relatable quirks rather than depicting him as “Hitman”, “Six-hitting machine”, or the path-breaking captain of team India for that matter.

Imagine seeing a commercial where Harmanpreet Kaur or Jemimah Rodrigues is put in a quirky, unexpected scenario. Maybe they’re challenging their teammates to goofy TikTok challenges, or they’re showing off their hidden talents outside of cricket. The point is, we need to see them as more than just serious athletes—they can be playful, funny, and multidimensional, too. 

Look at CRED’s campaign featuring David Warner for instance. It leveraged the Australian star opener’s love for India and his well-known admiration of Indian movies and pop references. 

Imagine seeing a commercial where Harmanpreet Kaur or Jemimah Rodrigues is put in a quirky, unexpected scenario. Maybe they’re challenging their teammates to goofy TikTok challenges, or they’re showing off their hidden talents outside of cricket. The point is, we need to see them as more than just serious athletes—they can be playful, funny, and multidimensional, too. Look at CRED’s campaign featuring David Warner for instance. It leveraged the Australian star opener’s love for India and his well-known admiration of Indian movies and pop references. 

“Humour has yet to come on the field for female cricketers,” Khabya says. A key insight here is that humour, or any other creative tone, can humanise athletes and make them more relatable, a quality that female cricketers’ campaigns are yet to fully harness.

Media spotlight: The chicken and egg problem

Here’s where things get a bit trickier—visibility. Sudhir Das, Senior Executive Creative Director at Cheil India, points out that male cricketers are everywhere in the media. “Male cricketers aren’t tied down by their primary identity,” he says, meaning they can play the superhero, the bad boy, or even the heartthrob. Female cricketers, on the other hand, are often cast in the limiting roles of 'female athletes,' defined by their struggles rather than their multifaceted personalities or talents. 

Das argues that part of the problem is that female cricketers just aren’t as well-known yet. "When advertising has to spend time explaining who you are, it has less time to be creative," he says. And that’s the rub, isn’t it? Brands are hesitant to take risks with female cricketers because, frankly, the average person on the street might not recognise their names as quickly as they do with male cricketers.

While having a similar view, Chawla sees hope and advocates for a change, "The advertising industry has historically focused more on male athletes due to the mass appeal, limiting the range of creative exploration when it comes to promoting female athletes. However, international campaigns have shown that when brands commit to promoting women’s sports with equal creative ambition, they can spark global conversations and drive significant engagement. In India, this is gradually evolving, but there’s certainly room for more brands to step up and invest in bold, innovative campaigns around women’s cricket, especially during high-visibility tournaments like the World Cup."

Das also highlights a crucial difference in the creative playground available for campaigns featuring male and female cricketers. Global campaigns from brands like Nike and Adidas have shown that female athletes can drive impactful narratives that transcend sports. For example, Nike’s ‘Dream Crazier’ campaign, led by Serena Williams, not only celebrated women athletes but also tapped into larger conversations about gender equality. However, as Das points out, "In India, while there are several breakout stars in women’s cricket, none can claim to be household names yet."

But does that mean we keep playing it safe? Absolutely not. As Das notes, it’s a cycle: the more popular female cricketers become, the more brands will invest in them, which will, in turn, make them even more recognisable.

So why not jump-start that process with bold, creative campaigns now? We don’t need to wait until the women’s game reaches the same level of visibility as men’s cricket to start thinking outside the box.

WPL: A glimmer of hope

If there’s one bright spot in this conversation, it’s the Women’s Premier League (WPL). This league could be a total game-changer, and some advertisers are already seeing its potential. Vishnu Srivatsav, Creative Head at 22feet Tribal Worldwide, sees the WPL as a defining moment. "For us, the WPL is an important marker in the journey of women’s sports. Its impact will be generational," he says.

Srivatsav’s agency even ran a clever campaign encouraging parents to name their daughters after WPL cricketers—an idea that challenges traditional gender norms and positions female athletes as role models for future generations. Now that is the kind of creative thinking we need more of. Imagine what the WPL could do for women’s cricket if more brands embraced that level of out-of-the-box thinking.

With the rise of digital platforms, as Khabya mentions, female cricketers could reach new heights even faster. Social media is the great equaliser—viral moments don’t care whether you’re a household name yet. They care if you’re interesting, relatable, and shareable. And that’s where we need to focus: giving female cricketers the platform and the campaigns that make people hit that "share" button.

A multi-pronged approach

For advertisers and marketers looking to revamp the creative approach to female cricketers' campaigns, several actionable steps stand out:

• Diversify narratives: Move beyond the “breaking barriers” theme to showcase a broader range of stories. For example, campaigns could highlight the technical skills of female cricketers or their off-field personalities in a way that humanises them rather than turning them into symbols of societal change. The ongoing narrative could expand to include humour, drama, or even fantasy, just like male cricketers are portrayed.
• Leverage humour and pop culture: Humour can make female cricketers more relatable and break down the invisible barrier between them and the audience. An ad campaign showing Harmanpreet Kaur or Smriti Mandhana in light-hearted, humorous roles could go a long way in establishing a deeper connection with the audience. Moreover, leveraging pop culture references can make the campaigns more shareable and viral, as seen in the case of Rahul Dravid's ‘Indiranagar ka Gunda.
• Use digital to drive reach: As Khabya mentions, the shift to digital platforms is accelerating. Campaigns need to be designed not just for TV but for viral, social media-friendly formats. GRPs and engagement metrics are increasingly shaping how advertisers approach women's sports, and digital platforms offer the ideal medium to build that reach.
• Focus on iconography: One reason why male cricketers feature in so many diverse campaigns is that they’ve become cultural icons. Building this kind of iconography for female cricketers is essential. For instance, Jhulan Goswami's career could be celebrated as a legendary journey akin to Sachin Tendulkar’s, cementing her legacy in the minds of the public.
• Create long-term legacy campaigns: Like Srivatsav's girl baby name activation, legacy-building campaigns can help solidify the role of female cricketers in cultural narratives. These campaigns shouldn’t just celebrate individual moments but should look at the bigger picture, showing how female cricketers are shaping the future of the sport.

Switching gears

There is immense potential for creativity in campaigns featuring female cricketers, but the industry needs to step up to the challenge. As Singh notes, the barrier-breaking narrative is important but needs to evolve for sustained growth. Experts like Khabya and Das argue that advertisers need to embrace a more diversified, creative approach, incorporating humour, emotional storytelling, and even fantasy to captivate audiences.

The WPL and rising digital platforms offer the perfect opportunity to unlock this potential. However, a challenge remains in popularising World Cup tournaments and bilateral series featuring the national team. 

As advertisers reimagine the narratives surrounding female cricketers, we may soon witness a creative renaissance that will not only elevate these athletes but also reshape the entire landscape of sports advertising in India. By embracing more innovative storytelling, the next generation of campaigns can ensure that female cricketers are celebrated not just as athletes but as icons of popular culture.