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When the Women’s Premier League (WPL) launched in 2023, it marked a cultural shift for Indian sport, one that brands were quick to notice. Among the earliest and most consistent supporters was Himalaya Wellness, which partnered with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Women’s team from the very first season.
Himalaya’s early WPL storytelling leaned on familiar face-care conversations but reframed them through the lens of sport and inclusion.
In its first season, the brand launched the Not Fair campaign, challenging conventional beauty standards and pushing back against fairness narratives in skincare. Using RCB Women players as faces of the campaign, Himalaya positioned inclusivity as a core value, setting the tone for how it would show up in women’s sport.
The following year saw a more metaphor-driven approach with Take My Spot, built around Himalaya’s Turmeric Dark Spot Clearing Face Wash. The campaign cleverly borrowed from cricket vocabulary, using “spot” to talk about both blemishes and women’s fight for space and recognition, on the field and beyond.
“At that stage, we were still product-first, but already rooted in consumer life,” said Abhishek Ashat, General Manager – Beauty & Face Care, Himalaya Wellness. “The intent was always to be part of the consumer’s journey, not just interrupt it.”
Four years on, that association has evolved from product-led advertising to a multi-layered platform focused on empowerment, grassroots impact and long-term relevance.
The brand’s latest WPL campaign, Remember Her Face, reflects this evolution. Instead of focusing solely on established stars, the campaign highlights young girls working towards their dreams long before recognition arrives.
“Our film this year talks about Himalaya being number one, but it’s also about the next number one in cricket,” Ragini Hariharan, Marketing Director – Beauty & Personal Care, Himalaya Wellness, said. “RCB has been number one, women’s cricket is reaching that point, now it’s the next generation that needs to grow.”
The campaign positions the brand as a facilitator of aspiration rather than just a commentator. For Himalaya, the film is only the starting point. “We don’t want to stop at communication,” Hariharan added. “We want to go all the way to the grassroots and create real impact.
Why women’s cricket made sense
The brand’s face care portfolio, particularly Neem Face Wash, is deeply entrenched among young girls in their early teens, an age marked by physical change, insecurity and self-discovery. Himalaya saw a clear overlap between this life stage and the journey of women athletes pushing against systemic barriers.
RCB’s long-standing commitment to developing women’s cricket further strengthened the fit. “RCB as a franchise has always been very dedicated to building women’s cricket in India,” Hariharan said. “Once we saw that alignment, the collaboration felt obvious.”
Initially, the partnership revolved around launches and visibility. Over time, it became more deliberate. What started as variant introductions and cause-based messaging gradually expanded into year-round initiatives with a clear purpose. “Today, this collaboration is both business-led and purpose-led,” Hariharan added. “That’s why it has become more meaningful with every season.”
As women’s cricket gained traction and RCB Women’s performances strengthened, Himalaya reassessed the role it wanted to play in the ecosystem. “We realised this was a much bigger journey,” Ashat said. “Women’s cricket was getting real traction, and that demanded more from us as a brand.”
This led to the birth of the 1derwoman initiative, a platform designed to move beyond messaging and into action. The idea stemmed from a simple question: if face care is the first category young girls enter, could it also be the category that gives them confidence and opportunity?
“We wanted to associate face care with a cause that truly matters to girls at this age,” Hariharan explained. “This is when they start interacting with skincare, and for many of them, the first brand is Himalaya.”
Media strategy
Unsurprisingly, digital forms the backbone of Himalaya’s WPL media plan. “A lot of WPL consumption happens on digital,” Hariharan said. “So our focus is heavily on digital and social.”
Beyond the main campaign film, the brand is pushing behind-the-scenes content, player-led snippets, 1derwoman stories and influencer collaborations over an extended period. Female creators and cricket influencers play a key role in amplifying relevance and authenticity.
“Our message is about building the next face of Indian cricket,” Hariharan said. “We choose collaborators who genuinely align with that.”
Rather than tying success to percentages alone, Himalaya evaluates the partnership through audience impact. “The WPL audience is younger, more urban and has a strong female skew,” Hariharan noted. “These are audiences that are not easy to reach through standard media plans.”
The association has delivered increased awareness, engagement, brand positivity and even sales during campaign periods. Internally, too, the effect is tangible. “It’s not just consumers,” she said. “Our sales teams also feel energised by initiatives like this.”
The road ahead
Looking forward, Himalaya plans to deepen its WPL partnership and significantly scale the 1derwoman platform. “This year, our intent is to reach over a lakh girls,” Hariharan said. “In the next three to five years, I hope this goes well beyond that.”
Ashat summed up the brand’s trajectory simply: “We’ve moved from encouragement to empowerment. Now it’s about building real change.”
As women’s sport in India moves from momentum to movement, Himalaya’s long-term, layered approach with RCB Women offers a case study in how brands can grow alongside the game — not just by telling stories, but by helping write them.