Case Study: How Swiggy used live cricket moments to engage viewers across CTV & Mobile

With billions tuning in across TV and digital platforms, the IPL remains one of India’s most-watched cricket tournaments. During the 2025 season, Swiggy, in partnership with PivotRoots and mCanvas, ran a campaign that used moment marketing, contextual messaging, a LIVE score API, and retargeting to connect with audiences in real time across CTV and mobile.

Category Introductions

The Online Food Delivery market in India is projected to generate revenues of US$54.97 billion in 2025, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.26% between 2025 and 2030, taking the market to an estimated US$102.43 billion by 2030. Within this segment, the Grocery Delivery market alone is expected to reach a volume of US$40.06 billion in 2025, recording revenue growth of 22.1% in 2026. On a global scale, China is set to lead the category with projected revenues of US$499.14 billion in 2025. The Grocery Delivery segment is also expected to see an average revenue per user (ARPU) of US$206.51 in 2025. Meanwhile, the Meal Delivery market is forecast to expand to 363.4 million users by 2030, with user penetration projected to reach 20.2% in 2025.

Brand Introduction

Swiggy Limited, founded in 2014 and headquartered in Bengaluru, is an Indian online food ordering and delivery company operating in over 580 cities as of July 2023. Alongside food delivery, the platform also offers quick commerce through Instamart and dining services via Dineout, all accessible through a single mobile app.

Summary

Swiggy Food, in collaboration with PivotRoots and mCanvas, rolled out an interactive CTV campaign during IPL 2025, using a live score API, moment-based messaging, and retargeting to drive cricket fans to its mobile app.

Problem Statement/Objective 

Swiggy wanted to dominate high-energy IPL moments by reaching users at scale and in real time. 

The primary goals were to:

• Drive impact across the funnel

• Retarget users to take action on the mobile app.

• Ensure Swiggy is top-of-mind during and after gameplay.

• Capitalise on audience engagement during LIVE matches.

• Promote time-sensitive discounts tied to in-game events.

Challenges

• Breaking through the IPL ad clutter.

• Bridging passive CTV viewership with actionable user behaviour on mobile.

• Reaching audiences at scale, in real time during and beyond match hours.

• Reinforcing recall and driving action.

Creative Idea 

CTV

• Moment-driven communication - “When bois hit a 6, you get 66% OFF!”

• Secondary creative served during non-match hours

• Interactive L-band overlay

Mobile

• Animated, single-screen interstitial

• Consistent offer messaging

• Ad creative featuring Swiggy’s brand ambassador

Reach the Right Audience

• Cricket and sports enthusiasts aged 18–44, from India’s top 10 metro cities

• Digitally savvy, who stream matches on OTT platforms

Execution 

The platform triggered action by tapping into moments of collective euphoria among fans, executing the omnichannel campaign in two phases. 

In phase #1, an interactive CTV format aimed to increase time spent on the ad and capture audience attention.

In phase #2, those initially exposed were retargeted on mobile to reinforce brand recall and drive action through familiar messaging.

Campaign Phase 1 (Interactive CTV to mobile)

1. Every six hit during match-play triggered an interactive L-band overlay on CTV.

2. To capture attention, the overlay featured a LIVE score API, offer details, and a QR code.

3. The QR code and “Order Now” call-to-action (CTA) prompted viewers to claim the offer on Swiggy's landing page on mobile.

4. A fallback creative ran in real time during non-match hours to maintain visibility.

Campaign Phase 2 (Retargeting on mobile)

• Viewers were retargeted on mobile with an animated single-screen interstitial to boost recall and action.

• It retained the offer message and featured Swiggy’s brand ambassador.

• A CTA led users to the same campaign landing page, creating a full-funnel experience.

Results

Using interactive CTV and mobile retargeting, Swiggy’s omnichannel campaign reinforces how more time spent on an ad captures higher user attention and ultimately, increases brand recall.

CTV

• 73 lakh+ users reached

• 69 lakh+ video views

• 94% VTR which is 17.5% higher than industry benchmarks. 

Mobile

• 30 lakh+ users reached

• 5% CTR which is 10X higher than industry standards

Overall impact during IPL 2025 period

• 9% increase in app traffic during IPL 2025 period compared to business-as-usual (BAU) months

• 24% rise in average monthly searches (over 3 months) for select campaign-related keywords

Note: These metrics reflect overall impact during the IPL 2025 window from multiple channels.

Surbhi Johri, Brand Marketing, Swiggy  said, "This IPL, we wanted to elevate how fans experience cricket, not just with great food, but with great offers that made the game even more exciting. Working with PivotRoots and mCanvas allowed us to make this idea come alive in real time, at a massive scale."

Praveen Joshi, VP Media, PivotRoots added, "Our goal was to translate the thrill of cricket into an interactive, multi-screen experience — not just for the fans, but for Swiggy as a brand. The success of this campaign proves the potential of moment marketing when combined with smart, cross-platform execution."