Q] Fuse has been an Omnicom agency since 2008. But your entry here in India, in 2024, took over a decade and a half to materialise, why?
Conway: We were actually here much earlier. Our founder, David Pinnington set up Fuse within Omnicom Media Group, including in India, probably in the early 2010. Sadly, he passed away very young from lung cancer, and we lost leadership for a while.
It wasn’t until COVID, when I was working with Louise Johnson, our global CEO, that we decided to audit all markets. We knew we had capability everywhere. In India, we found a legacy Fuse presence, but it leaned more towards branded content. Once we got the green light to globalise Fuse beyond its UK-centric roots, we knew we needed strong sports expertise and a solid network. Kartik (Sharma) had worked with Jigar before. So, we brought him in. We immediately knew he was the man for the job. The re-establishment took time. We had to prove to Omnicom that sport was commercially compelling—a great space for brands to explore.
Q] You entered Brazil the same year as India. Both are large, culturally dynamic markets often compared globally. How different was it launching Fuse there versus here?
Conway: They’re actually very similar markets. It’s rare to find such high GDP growth driven by ambitious governments—both part of the BRICS community. Sport is deeply woven into national identities: football in Brazil, cricket in India. And when media is so fragmented, brands know that showing up in the national sport is how you earn attention.
Both markets are also digital-savvy. If you want to build brand awareness at scale, it makes strategic sense. Not just sport, there’s music, film, and TV too. These are two entertainment-loving nations. There are differences in scale and population diversity, but culturally, there are striking similarities.
Q] Fuse was here in India in 2010, albeit on a smaller scale. How different is the market today?
Conway: My first visit to India was in 1992, as a backpacker. I remember feeling overwhelmed. Infrastructure and technology weren’t the best, and for me, there was a language barrier as well. Now, it feels cosmopolitan. The government’s invested in broadband. It’s cheap and is being accessed by everyone. Whether it’s banking, retail or commerce, transactions are done digitally. Other markets take years to get there; India’s just leapt forward. It’s an entrepreneurial nation.
Rambhia: Also, in India, what I’ve seen over the years is that discussions have moved from cost negotiations to activation negotiations. Earlier, brands were probably looking for the best cost, now the conversation is about activating a sports association well. It’s part of the media plan as opposed to being left at the mercy of leftover media budgets. Even the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is now thinking of helping brands more. Earlier, it was just about putting logos on. Although, there are still brands that look for cheap deals, but most want to engage creatively and speak the language of the sport and not just cricket now.
Q] Do you think India’s sports sponsorship market has boomed in the past two or three years? With leagues emerging even in newer crowd favourite sports like pickleball and paddleball, is advertising steadily moving beyond cricket?
Rambhia: I’d say yes and no. More money is coming into sport, but most of the incremental spend is still going to cricket. It’s not really shifting to other sports in a big way. Pickleball, for instance, is nascent. Leagues are launching, even two national leagues, one official and one non-official, but brands haven’t come on board in a big way. Also, there’s a difference between participative and viewer sports. Pickleball is great to play, but it’s not really a spectator sport. And brands follow audiences—they’re not in the business of developing sport. Maybe, in time, brands will want to affiliate themselves with developing a sport. In the UK, some brands support coaching programmes—especially in women’s sport, which needs investment. That association gives the brand purpose. It helps differentiate them from brands that just want the shiny toys.
Q] Which other sports are doing well in India besides cricket?
Rambhia: Kabaddi. Both, in terms of viewership and the number of millionaires the sports has created. It started with players earning a few thousand or lakh rupees and now, it has gone up to crores and similarly from being a weekend sport to a full-time career. Other sports are individual-heavy. Take athletics, we have one Neeraj Chopra, and the others are still some distance behind. Same with badminton—we had the Saina Nehwals and the PV Sindhus. The newer crop is coming up, but they haven’t reached the top yet. The minute we start winning internationally—and consistently—It feels achievable. The number of women playing cricket after the Women’s Premier League (WPL) is unbelievable. For all we know, the BCCI may want to increase franchises.
Conway: They need more role models. It’s like women’s cricket. Young girls see role models and pick up the bat.
Q] Who are some of Fuse’s big clients?
Conway: In India, we do a lot of work with Shriram Finance. They’ve been associated with the Pro Kabaddi League for the last two years and told us that sports has directly helped their business. We also have HSBC investing in sport. They’re looking at pickleball and paddleball as an ecosystem—still evaluating which way to lean. Then, we’ve had queries from Mercedes-Benz, which was surprising but exciting. You can’t offer them a mass play like cricket, so we’re working on more tailored options. We have four or five clients actively looking at solutions through sport.
Q] What distinctive services does Fuse offer in India that other agencies or competitors don’t?
Rambhia: Being part of an advertising agency, we understand brands better than standalone sports marketing agencies. Our understanding goes beyond a campaign or event. We get the brand creatively and from a media perspective, and we know their yearly and five-year goals. That lets us suggest solutions in a way other sports agencies can’t. That’s been a big differentiator for us in India.
Conway: Sponsorships now need to be integrated into the media plan, amplifying key moments like finals or quarterfinals. Fuse being inside Omnicom Media is the real USP.
Q] Fuse is new to India, but is there a service within Fuse which is offered here but not available elsewhere outside India?
Conway: I’d say there are a few markets where we offer a service called Ignite. Unlike Fuse, which represents and does activation for brands, Ignite works with rights holders to find the right brand partners and integrate their offerings. AI is a big category now, and that comes under Ignite as well. It’s available in select markets where rights holders need support, especially around measurement. Often, rights holders struggle to provide brands with data, and we help curate that, showing the value of the property. It’s fairly new here, but as rights holders become more developed and sophisticated, we can expand this offering.
Q] In the coming year, what kind of growth do you expect from Fuse?
Conway: In Double digits! With IPG agencies joining the family and eventually moving into the same building, new business will spike overnight. Jigar’s going to be really busy.
Rambhia: Double digits or even exponential growth is possible. We’re relatively new, and the opportunity is huge. The next couple of years will see high growth. It’s a great chance to offer IPG clients our expertise. They’ve done sports before, but whether through IPG or directly, we bring a deeper understanding of media and brand; that differentiation should work in our favour.
Q] Today more and more clients are seeking simplicity in their interaction with agencies. In the process, what kind of role do specialised agencies like Fuse, which is a sports marketing expert, have?
Rambhia: If it’s within the same group, it’s simple. I talk to the client as Omnicom. My card may say Fuse, but it’s an Omnicom company. Clients want the full-agency model, and that works beautifully. Understanding the brand in one room beats different people in different rooms.
Conway: It’s actually simpler than people think. The front door might be PHD or OMD, but the client gets access to all Omnicom specialisms under one contract. Teams are integrated, planning is seamless, invoicing is easy. Fuse turns up with expertise, and clients can easily say yes.
Q] At this stage, what is the big challenge you’re facing in India?
Rambhia: I don’t think there’s a challenge. There’s opportunity—and we’re working on grabbing it. With IPG bringing in more brands to talk to, the opportunity is huge. In sport, you will lose sometimes. Whether you play sport or are in the business of it, losses happen. But if you’re consistent, the likelihood of winning is more. We’ll stay consistent and hopefully win more business than we lose.
Q] How soon do you see the Indian market contributing significantly to Fuse’s global revenues?
Conway: It’ll be exponential over the next few years. There’s huge opportunity here—not just in sports, but in entertainment too. The 2024 white paper on live events shows that once infrastructure is in place, music and artistes can thrive. By 2030, I’ll probably have to give Jigar his own office, his team will be that big. The next five years in India will be enormous. The trajectory is right. The government’s ambitions for hosting Olympics will help.
Q] By 2030 what percentage would that be in India?
Rambhia: I’d like at least 15%. EMEA is currently our biggest market, but we’ve been there 15 years. India will grow much faster and could become much bigger in contribution.
