India is World Cup's #2 consumer despite never qualifying — brands urged to act
Op-ed argues Indian marketers are underplaying FIFA World Cup as a cultural moment, citing 39 nights of fandom and 87% of matches after 10pm IST. IKEA and Coca-Cola cited as benchmarks; calls for brands to move beyond ad inventory across Kolkata, Kozhikode, Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
Opinion piece urging Indian brands to treat FIFA World Cup as a cultural moment, not just ad inventory, given India is the world's second-largest consumer of World Cup content despite never qualifying.
Why this matters
Op-ed pressures Indian marketers to treat the World Cup as a 39-night cultural tentpole rather than a media buy, citing IKEA and Coca-Cola as activation benchmarks across five fandom-heavy cities.
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