Brands that broke the ground on CTV this IPL

In a season where every brand is vying for eyeballs during the Indian Premier League, Swiss Beauty has carved out a distinctive place by becoming one of the first beauty brands to tap into Connected TV (CTV) advertising during IPL 2025. 

Many other women-centric brands also followed the suit including Zouk.

Why CTV? The Woman Factor

Data from BARC reveals a telling shift: 48% of IPL viewers this season are women. The opening weekend alone clocked 253 million viewers, underlining how sports viewership is no longer a male-dominated arena. For Swiss Beauty, this was a strategic sweet spot.

“CTV isn’t just a media channel—it’s where modern women are now watching cricket,” said Vidushi Goyal, CMO at Swiss Beauty. “And as a beauty brand that speaks directly to this audience, we saw IPL on CTV as the perfect storm of timing, relevance, and attention.”

Swiss Beauty’s campaign went live across popular CTV platforms during IPL matches, targeting female audiences with tailored creatives. While many legacy beauty brands continue to stay rooted in TV, print, or point-of-sale, Swiss Beauty’s pivot toward new-age digital platforms reflects a clear understanding of where the market is heading.

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From Bridal Glam to Stadium Cheers

In one of their boldest stunts this season, Swiss Beauty sent a bride—decked in full wedding attire—to a live IPL match, capturing the contrast between her “last-minute beauty prep” and cricket’s final over.

“It was symbolic and fun. Two high-stakes moments happening simultaneously—a bride getting ready for her big day and a team chasing victory. It was our way of merging beauty and sports culture,” Goyal explained.

The campaign picked up organically across social platforms and became a viral talking point, especially on X (formerly Twitter), where memes and reactions amplified its reach without paid boosting.

A Heavily Digital Game Plan

The CTV move is part of a broader shift in Swiss Beauty’s marketing playbook. The brand currently invests close to 70–75% of its total media budget in digital, with influencer marketing alone accounting for 50–60% of that spend.

“We’ve moved away from traditional media because digital allows us to test, measure, and optimise in real time. Whether it’s Meta, YouTube, or creators—we look for impact, not just impressions,” said Goyal.

The influencer strategy is data-driven. Creators are chosen based on depth of engagement, product relevance, and genre-specific credibility—be it beauty tutorials, skincare hacks, or even men’s grooming.

“Men are part of our audience now,” Goyal added. “We’ve seen a significant uptake of products like eyebrow kits, concealers, and lip balms among male users. Beauty is becoming gender-neutral, and our campaigns reflect that.”

Beyond Lipstick: A Skincare Surge

While Swiss Beauty built its name in makeup, the brand is now growing into skincare. Its new Sunscreen Spray launched just ahead of summer and sold out in under three months.

“It was our first major skincare push, and the response was phenomenal. We’re already working on restocking. It showed us there’s hunger in the market for hybrid, easy-to-use skincare formats,” Goyal said.

Sub-brands like Swiss Beauty Craze (for Gen Z) and Swiss Beauty Select (a more premium line) are also being developed further to segment offerings without diluting the core identity.

IPs, Pop-Ups, and Purpose

While many D2C players and beauty startups are launching podcasts, content properties, or large-scale brand IPs, Swiss Beauty is taking a more cautious approach. Goyal says the brand prefers to invest in purpose-first properties over content-led gimmicks.

“We’re planning to build IPs, but not just for virality. We want them rooted in the brand’s values—accessible beauty, inclusivity, and self-expression,” she said.

On the ground, Swiss Beauty is exploring experiential pop-up stores and intimate influencer events, though not purely for ROI. 

“For us, events are not about hard sales. They’re about engaging real-time with creators who can give us unfiltered product feedback and become true brand advocates,” said Goyal. “We believe in human conversations over hard KPIs.”

Facing the Celebrity D2C Boom

Asked about the growing wave of celebrity beauty brands, Goyal doesn’t see it as a threat. “Celebrities bring early momentum, but long-term sustainability comes from product strength and brand trust. We’re building for the next decade—not the next drop,” she noted.

Swiss Beauty is not actively looking at acquisitions either. The current focus is organic growth, especially in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, which continue to be the strongest offline markets for the brand.

“We come from general trade. That DNA hasn’t changed. Swiss Beauty is present in over 10,000 retail points, many in non-metro cities. We’re proud of that grassroots distribution.”

What Makes Swiss Beauty Memorable?

While the brand is working on a refreshed visual identity and brand mascot for next year, Goyal says its personality already stands out. “We’re the BFF of beauty. We’re colorful, fun, and real—like that friend who tells you what concealer really works without making you feel dumb. That tone is what our users love.”

As IPL 2025 wraps up with glitz and glamour, Swiss Beauty’s CTV entry marks a new chapter in how beauty brands can embed themselves in the cultural pulse—not just the makeup aisle.