Victory on the pitch, defeat in the market: How advertisers and brands fail India’s women athletes

India’s victory over Australia in the women’s World Cup semi-final should be a watershed moment. While the team’s grit and brilliance has lit up the field on various occasions, the response from advertisers and brands has always been a temporary noise followed by deafening silence.

In a country where every male sporting triumph is swiftly monetized, India’s women champions remain invisible — even to brands that claim to stand for empowerment or wear the “for women, by women” badge with pride. Their success may stir fleeting applause, but when the lights dim, the deals, the billboards, and the attention go elsewhere.

Ever the nation’s go-to optimist and India X's chief cheerleader, Anand Mahindra wrote: “India’s women just beat Australia in the World Cup semi-final, chasing 339! This isn’t just a victory. It’s a transformation. Today is the day when women’s cricket in India stopped asking for attention and started commanding it.”

But perhaps the real question is — when will that transformation extend beyond the pitch?

Stalwart marketer and columnist Shubhranshu Singh believes the core issue lies in how hero worship has been commercialized. Hero worship has become a commercial venture, he says. "Sports is - by following - a young men’s persuasion. Women have done well but they are celebrated as women’s stories not sporting achievements. Brands use them for signaling inspiration not as core brand narrative. Male sport sells because it comes with rivalry, tension, big bucks. Female triumph in sport is advocacy, not aspiration. It’s moral cause not market belief."

Moral cause versus market realities

For all their talk of empowerment, most Indian brands built on female-first narratives- from beauty and wellness to fashion and fitness- continue to sidestep women athletes who embody real strength, discipline, and perseverance. According to TAM Media Research, film actresses accounted for a staggering 88.8% of ad duration among female celebrities between January and September 2025, while female sportspersons contributed barely 2.8%.

“It’s unfortunate but true,” says Anshu Yardi, Vice President, TAM Media Research. “Our data reflects that brands claiming to promote women’s empowerment continue to prefer glamour-driven representation over authentic achievers. Despite their empowerment rhetoric, advertising investments remain heavily skewed toward celebrities from entertainment rather than women who represent real strength and achievement.”

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Even as sportspersons (male and female combined) comprised about 19% of total ad volumes, the ecosystem remains dominated by visibility, not values.

‘Empowerment can’t live only on Women’s Day’

Experts agree that while empowerment has become a marketing staple, few brands translate purpose into year-round action. Shakti Banerjee, SVP and Head of Qualitative Research at Hansa Research, says, “It often feels like brands are cashing in on empowerment rather than committing to it. Empowerment must evolve from a marketing stance to a belief system- where representation isn’t performative, but purposeful.”

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Banerjee points out that “purpose isn’t what a brand says on Women’s Day- it’s what it does every day.” She adds that authentic empowerment demands consistency, not calendar-driven campaigns. “These aren’t quick-return campaigns; they’re long-term cultural investments,” she says.

Visibility vs. Value: India’s sponsorship blind spot

While India’s athlete endorsement market has surged- crossing ₹1,200 crore in 2024, as Adani Group’s Chandan Sharma notes, the value remains concentrated in men’s cricket.

“It’s a game of reach more than gender,” Sharma says. “Lesser-televised sports, where many women excel, are badly squeezed out. The likes of Lili Das, a middle-distance runner, still don’t have sponsors. If a brand can’t name three women athletes it funds beyond Women’s Day, that’s not purpose- it’s positioning.”

Sharma suggests redirecting 10–20% of celeb or creator spends into women-athlete retainers and putting them in mainstream categories like auto, BFSI, and tech.

“Empowerment stays in a studio, not on the field,” he quips.

Authenticity over aesthetics

Bhairav Shanth, Co-founder of ITW, believes the issue is not black and white. “Empowerment is a wide spectrum,” he says. “Brands may not always default to women athletes, but those that do it authentically can create strong narratives.

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He adds that brands like Rexona and Thums Up have shown how athlete-driven storytelling can humanize brand purpose. “Everyone loves a good story- brands must start evaluating stories for their uniqueness, not just visibility.”

‘Marketers aren’t short of stories- they’re short of conviction’

For Banerjee, the gap lies not in imagination but in intent. “Women athletes don’t just win medals- they embody the spirit of a changing India,” she says. “To connect with Gen Z and Gen Alpha, brands must humanize empowerment through authenticity and sustained commitment.”

Namrata Parekh of Cornerstone Meraki Endeavour, echoes that sentiment. “Many brands genuinely believe they’re contributing to empowerment- but they need to broaden what it looks like. It can’t stop at beauty or wellness. Women athletes represent a more powerful and dynamic form of strength.”

Building credibility, not campaigns

Experts agree that for brands to move beyond tokenism, they must redefine brand purpose to include real-world impact. Prof. Surabhi Koul of FORE School of Management says, “Empowerment cannot be a seasonal campaign or a hashtag- it must be a sustained commitment. Investing in women’s sports is not just social responsibility; it’s a lesson in building credibility and long-term trust.”

That belief is echoed by Amitesh Shah, Founder and CEO of LegaXy, who says, “Empowerment isn’t a slogan- it’s an investment. Brands must move from storytelling to story-sharing, collaborating with women athletes who personify resilience, not just portray it.”

A handful of brands are already rewriting this playbook. From Kay Beauty’s partnership with UP Warriorz in WPL 2024 to Puma’s long-term work with Smriti Mandhana and JSW’s support of Sakshi Malik, some marketers are proving that representation and ROI can coexist.

If brands truly want to empower women, they must trade hashtags for heroics, influencers for impact, and token campaigns for tangible change.

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