The legacy brand witnessed an engagement of over 1.2 million fans with its experiential marketing brand activation.
Mumbai: Shalimar Paints, a 120-years young brand in the paint industry, unveiled an immersive, youth-focused campaign in Delhi in collaboration with Mumbai Indians. Designed to engage younger audiences through bold, on-ground experiences, the brand introduced a fan car, wrapped in bold Shalimar x Mumbai Indians branding and topped with a giant paint box, travelled through the city, offering both visual appeal and a direct brand experience.
As part of its ongoing Shalimar 2.0 strategy, the brand is embracing contemporary marketing approaches such as grassroot-level engagement and experiential marketing that resonate with today’s consumers. This initiative focused on grassroots fan engagement and experiential touchpoints, bringing together the energy of cricket and colour in a way that appealed to audiences across age groups. It demonstrated Shalimar Paints’ commitment to staying connected with evolving consumer preferences while continuing to serve generations of homeowners across the country.
The three-day activation took place from 13th to 15th April, covering Delhi NCR’s iconic locations including India Gate, Connaught Place, Lodhi Art District, Cyber City in Gurugram, and outside the Arun Jaitley Stadium during the highly anticipated match between Delhi and Mumbai on 13th April. The fan car acted as a travelling engagement zone. A scannable QR code on the car directed fans straight to Shalimar Paints’ Instagram page, driving online engagement. Participants who captured photos with the car and posted them on Instagram using #ShalimarXMumbaiIndians while tagging the brand won exclusive co-branded merchandise. Towards the end of the 3 day activity period, the brand witnessed a significant rise of in consumer engagement on its social media pages and added 30% new followers to its fan base.
Joining hands with Shalimar Paints to amplify the activity, youtuber and content creator Siddhartth Amarbrought his energy to the campaign. By going live from the brand’s Instagram handle, creating engaging city-based content, and hosting interactive quizzes, he successfully mobilised his young, digitally native audience, deepening their connection with the brand and adding a fresh, relatable edge to the activation.
To further expand the campaign’s reach, Shalimar Paints has also launched 1,000 branded cabs across its three focus markets—Delhi NCR, Kolkata, and Lucknow, bringing the brand’s vibrant message directly to the streets. Complementing this on-ground presence, the campaign is also being amplified through strategic outdoor media placements across these cities to reinforce its message, ‘Indians ka naya rang Shalimar’, consistently through multiple channels.
Commenting on the initiative, Kuldip Raina, MD & CEO, Shalimar Paints, said, “Our decision to partner with Mumbai Indians reflects Shalimar Paints’ journey, one of growth and of connecting with consumers across generations, helping turn houses into homes. Mumbai Indians as a brand represents consistent evolution and success. Today’s consumers, especially the younger generation, are drawn to brands that embody these values. Through this activation, we are reinforcing our commitment to engaging with them in the cultural moments that matter. Looking ahead, such strategic collaborations will continue to play a key role in shaping our Shalimar 2.0 strategy, which focuses on bringing products to market that resonate with every generation.”
Adding to this, Varun Malik, Head of Marketing, Shalimar Paints, said, “This campaign was designed keeping in mind the shared vision of Shalimar Paints and Mumbai Indians, which was to deliver excellence and success. As a brand, we have consistently innovated across both our products and initiatives. The campaign was a huge success, that helped us add 30% new followers to brand’s social media handles, engagement rates increased by over 200% and the visibility among countless fans on the streets of Delhi NCR was truly remarkable. Overall, it is not just a campaign for us, but a showcase to our consumers of what Shalimar Paints stands for: connecting with a new-age audience while staying rooted in our legacy.” The collab is still on and we will keep on activating and amplifying this association with newer ideas in weeks to come.
The initiative highlighted the shared values between both brands: versatility, consistency, and mass appeal, forging connections with both heritage enthusiasts and emerging audiences. Each stop on the fan car sparked spontaneous excitement, bringing fans together to add a fresh dimension to the cricket season’s energy, and showcasing how a legacy brand can stay culturally relevant and connect meaningfully with all generations.
