62% of IPL viewers are interested in payment apps; only 9% in mouth fresheners: Report

As IPL 2025 enters its fourth week, the latest findings from the ongoing eDART-IPL25 study by CrispInsight and Kadence International reveal interesting trends when it comes to viewer preferences, brand recall, and interest areas. eDART-IPL25 study involved a survey of 20,000 IPL viewers from more than 60 Indian cities.

Incidentally, although mouth freshener brands have traditionally been regular television advertisers, only about 9% of IPL viewers surveyed seemed interested in the category. Payment apps, on the contrary, emerged as the top category with 62% IPL viewers being interested in it, followed by electronics (58%) and OTT content apps (56%).

The survey revealed a difference in terms of the type of brands that women and men recall. The findings show that women are more likely to recall brands belonging to daily consumption and mobility categories, with 17% recalling food & snack brand advertisements, six per cent remembering two-wheeler ads, and merely three per cent recalling personal care ads. In comparison, 48% of men recall fantasy sports advertisements, 21% of men recall automobile ads, 16% tyres campaigns, and 6% recall financial services ads.

Aman Makkar, partner, at Kadence International, said, “Women are an under-leveraged audience in sports marketing. Brands in categories like snacks, wellness, and mobility should seize this opportunity. A more inclusive approach to IPL advertising could drive meaningful engagement across a broader demographic.”

The survey found that brand impressions vary drastically across demographics even within the same telecast. The variations in recall reflect deeper differences in category affinity and brand impact.

Using ‘Day-after recall’ (DAR) methodology, the Week-3 report of the eDART-IPL25 study focuses on gender- and age-based brand attention. It evaluated what’s working in this season’s advertising landscape. The survey report states that impactful advertising depends not on reach but with relevance.

Categories that align closely with viewer identity even with lower ad volumes can generate meaningful engagement. While categories like fantasy sports and automobiles benefit from sheer visibility, sectors such as food, mobility, and wellness punch above their weight when messaging is relevant and targeted, especially among women and younger viewers.

The survey showed that younger audiences (15–19 years) are more responsive to fantasy sports (39%) and beverage brands (23%), while older viewers (45+ years) show stronger recall for banking (29%), liquor (21%), and e-commerce (18%), underlining their age-defined lifestyle priorities.

While advertisers tend to focus on visibility, brand recall depends on how closely a brand’s message aligns with the values, lifestyle choices, and preferences of viewers, according to a CrispInsight spokesperson.