Flipkart has launched a new campaign this cricket season in partnership with Leo India, focusing on creating a more interactive way for viewers to engage with live matches. The campaign features umpire Billy Bowden and links his on-field gestures to shopping experiences on the platform.
The campaign is designed to combine live sports viewing with real-time commerce, turning match moments into opportunities for engagement beyond just watching the game. The idea connects common umpiring signals such as a six or a wide with different product categories and offers. During a match, viewers can capture an umpire’s signal, share it with Flipkart’s WhatsApp bot, and identify the linked product to access a corresponding deal.
The campaign film builds on this concept through a fictional training setup, where Bowden is shown teaching umpiring signals. Each gesture is associated with a product, reinforcing the connection between cricket cues and shopping categories in a simple and easy-to-follow format.
Pratik Shetty, Vice President, Growth and Marketing, Flipkart, said, “Cricket in India today is a second-screen experience, with fans constantly engaging in real time. Our insight was to make that attention actionable. This campaign explores new-age commerce by blending cricket, culture, and technology, turning Billy Bowden’s iconic signals into real-time shopping triggers that link live moments with instant intent.”
Sachin Kamble, Chief Creative Officer, Leo – South Asia said “We wanted to take something every cricket fan instinctively recognises – the umpire’s signal and turn it into an interactive trigger for our audience. By gamifying these iconic gestures, the idea transforms passive viewing into active participation. Suddenly, every moment in the match becomes an opportunity not just to watch, but to engage and unlock value.”
