As India’s smartphone industry evolves, new-age companies are increasingly relying on high-impact platforms to get exposure and customer confidence. Ai+ Smartphone has formed strategic agreements with marquee teams Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), to capitalise on the Indian Premier League’s unparalleled magnitude and cultural relevance.
In this discussion, Madhav Sheth, CEO of Ai+ Smartphone, explains how it intends to move beyond traditional sponsorships to foster deeper customer relationships, develop engagement-led experiences, and establish itself as a viable India-based smartphone competitor in a highly competitive industry.
1. What strategic goals is Ai+ Smartphone aiming to achieve through partnerships with two marquee IPL franchises?
Our objective is to move beyond traditional visibility and build meaningful consumer connection at scale. Through our partnerships with Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, we are placing the brand at the centre of culture, not just media. The focus is on three things — building trust as a new-age brand, driving discovery for our products, and creating experiences that make the brand tangible for consumers.
2. How important is the IPL as a platform for building a new-age smartphone brand in India?
IPL is one of the most powerful platforms in India today because it combines scale, cultural relevance, and engagement like no other. For a new-age brand, it accelerates awareness, credibility, and consumer familiarity.
3. The partnership focuses heavily on fan engagement, what specific experiences will define success for Ai+?
For us, success is defined by how closely we can bring fans to the game. This includes exclusive player interactions, behind-the-scenes access, match-day experiences, and content that puts fans in the middle of the action. We want to move from passive viewing to active participation, where fans feel like they are part of the experience, not just watching it.
4. What KPIs will define success—sales growth, user acquisition, engagement metrics, or brand recall?
It’s a combination of all of these. At one level, we’re looking at brand metrics like awareness and recall, especially as we scale. At the same time, we’re closely tracking engagement and consumer interaction, which are critical indicators of relevance. Ultimately, it also needs to translate into business outcomes — consideration, adoption, and sales. The strength of a platform like IPL is that it allows us to drive impact across the funnel.
5. Ai+ has also onboarded Ishan Kishan as a brand ambassador—how did this association come about, and how does it complement your broader IPL partnership strategy?
Ishan Kishan represents a mindset that aligns closely with what Ai+ stands for – confidence, ambition, and not settling for the ordinary. The association came together organically around that shared philosophy. Within our IPL strategy, he plays a key role in making the brand more relatable and accessible, helping us bring authentic, high-energy content and storytelling to fans.
7. Is the IPL partnership designed to drive consumer demand (B2C) or to convince regional distributors in Maharashtra and West Bengal to stock a relatively new, India-built brand?
The primary focus is on building consumer demand at scale.
