Wimbledon 2025: From Grass Courts to Global Grids

JioHotstar’s Wimbledon 2025 campaign tapped Indian influencers to turn the elite tennis tournament into a culturally aspirational lifestyle moment, targeting cricket-first audiences through relatable storytelling and social media engagement.
When lifestyle content creator Sakshi Keswani, better known to her 2.1 million Instagram followers as ‘Being Suku’, stepped onto the hallowed lawns of Wimbledon this year, she surprised her audience. “More than my dreams,” she captioned her post, which has since garnered over 252,000 likes. The comments section, with more than 500 responses, reads like a mosaic of awe, curiosity and aspiration—precisely the emotional currency that brands now expect creators to deliver.
This wasn’t a one-off post. As Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic battled on the grass courts of the All England Club, JioHotstar—owned by JioStar, a joint venture between Reliance Industries and The Walt Disney Company—was simultaneously working to reposition Wimbledon for India’s cricket-loving audience, presenting it not merely as a sporting event, but as an experience of elegance, exclusivity and global allure.

From Broadcast to Brandscape
JioHotstar enlisted a line-up of popular Indian influencers to amplify its Wimbledon 2025 campaign. Among them was Sakshi Keswani, joined by fellow creators Abhijeet Kain, Unnati Malharkar and Manav Chhabra, along with Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra. This group was flown to London as part of a broader promotional effort by Star Sports and JioHotstar’s broader campaign.
A JioStar spokesperson said, "This year's collaborations through the creators have unlocked new unique audiences that led to a successful presentation of tennis' most prestigious event."
The company added that it is continually exploring new ways to engage both core and casual viewers of the sport, actively seeking fresh avenues to connect with them.
The spokesperson added, “By collaborating with content creators for events such as Wimbledon, which is steeped in history, we're able to take viewers behind the scenes and offer them rare and fresh sights that enhance their viewing experience. It thus creates a deeper connection for committed viewers, and meaningfully engages fringe viewers to stay.”
As for whether JioStar’s influencer strategy translated into actual viewership spikes, official figures are still awaited. Data from BARC, India’s official TV viewership monitoring body, will reveal if creator-led storytelling converted into live match impressions. The figures are expected in the upcoming weekly update cycle.

Aspirational Avenues and Authentic Voices
Abhijeet Kain, who has 2.6 million Instagram followers, revealed that his own Wimbledon experience, while brand-aligned, He says, "The engagement was huge. People asked about court numbers, tickets, matches. I didn’t expect that level of interest.”
Kain’s reel garnered nearly 40K likes. Dressed in a self-styled outfit from Marks & Spencer, Kain explained that the appeal wasn’t so much the sport itself, but the energy of being at an event that resonates with global prestige.
The collaboration came through Dot Media, the agency managing influencer outreach for the campaign.

Marketing By Mood, Not Just Metrics
Pranav Nigam, Business Head at Dot Media, said: “We’ve been working with Star Sports and Wimbledon partners on digital campaigns for three years now, but this was the first time creators were physically sent to experience the event on-ground. For us, this wasn’t just a content opportunity—it was an artist positioning moment.”
Explaining how the creators were selected, Nigam shared, “Sukku and Abhijeet were natural fits. Their content has evolved significantly over the last 7–8 months—especially Sukku, whose storytelling format and character-based reels have built a deeply engaged audience. We thought, why not extend that into a narrative arc of an ‘arranged marriage couple’ travelling to Wimbledon? It made the campaign both fun and culturally resonant.”
But beyond content, it was the relatability factor that sealed it. “Sukku can reflect the dreams of young Indians who aspire to global experiences like Wimbledon. She brings aspiration and accessibility in the same frame—and that’s what makes her stand out.”

On the brand collaborations front, Nigam clarified that there were minimal commercial tie-ins. “Sukku chose to wear a homegrown Indian apparel label—it was her friend’s aunt’s brand. She wanted to support it, and that authenticity mattered. Other than that, there weren’t any brand partnerships. Because let’s be honest—Wimbledon itself is the brand. It’s one of the most aspirational, premium sporting properties globally. Rolex is a sponsor. It doesn’t get bigger than that.”
What’s in It for Creators?
Nigam puts it plainly: “The real value is in how we can now position these creators going forward. Sukku and Abhijeet have been to Wimbledon—they’ve been part of a global cultural moment. That elevates their brand equity. It opens doors for premium collaborations in India and abroad. That’s the by-product of placing creators in spaces like this—it’s less about virality and more about long-term brand value.”

Major luxury collaborations at Wimbledon remained largely reserved for A-list celebrities. Brands like Ralph Lauren, Bvlgari and Miu Miu aligned their presence with globally recognised Indian personalities—underscoring the premium aura Wimbledon continues to uphold.
Priyanka Chopra, seated courtside with Nick Jonas, wore a regal Ralph Lauren gown paired with Bvlgari jewelry. Sonam Kapoor, long regarded as a fashion bellwether, made a statement in a sharply tailored Ralph Lauren suit at the men’s singles final. Janhvi Kapoor was spotted in a soft, dreamy Miu Miu midi dress, while Urvashi Rautela’s lace gown and her now-signature Hermès Birkin—with Labubu dolls—sparked viral conversations across platforms.

Across sectors—from auto to apparel, FMCG to fintech—major brands are converging around creators, not as mere marketing add-ons, but as front-line representatives of aspiration, relatability and reach.
While influencers to global events may seem cost-effective for brands—often operating on barter terms, where creators are compensated through experience rather than fees—it’s far from limited to the world of tennis.
From the red carpets of Cannes to high-stakes tech unveilings, creators are now central to brand amplification.
Take Samsung’s recent launch event in Delhi: top Indian influencers were flown in not merely to showcase the new foldable devices, but to craft aspirational, aesthetic narratives through reels and shorts that travel faster than traditional advertising ever could.