Challenger Energy Drink Brand Scores Cricketing Duo’s Endorsements, Eyeing Expansion In India  

The cheekily monikered energy drink brand, Hell Energy, has secured celebrity endorsements from Indian pace bowlers Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Shami. 

The Hungarian challenger brand in the global energy drink market was founded in 2004 and in recent years, has had Hollywood action icon Bruce Willis as its celebrity ambassador, fronting its campaigns since 2018. The brand also had a deal with the AT&T Williams Formula 1 team in 2009. 

With an eye on massive expansion in India, Hell Energy, has cleverly picked Thakur and Shami to push its campaigns there, even launching Hell Cricket Crazy, a limited edition packaged energy drink.  

Speaking on this new association, Shardul Thakur, expressed, “I am thrilled to be associated with a global brand like Hell Energy, whose interest in promoting sports align with mine. As a supporter of our Team during the ongoing Cricket World Cup, Hell is a great accompaniment for all of us. So grab Hell Energy and cheer with all your power.”

Expressing his delight at the partnership, Mohammed Shami, quipped, “It is the determination to win against all odds and to strive for excellence that keeps me going as a cricketer. I am exhilarated to be representing one of the leading brands in Energy Drinks and look forward to the exciting moments ahead. The success of this drink can be attributed to its excellent quality and this attribute resonates completely with my philosophy of trying to be the best in one’s domain, irrespective of the many challenges that life may throw at us.”

Unnikannan Gangadharan, Country Head, Hell Energy India, added, “Hell Energy is a brand that has consistently supported sports through various partnerships and is loved by many for its deep connect. We are proud to associate ourself with two outstanding cricketers during the most sought after Cricket Tournament (the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup) in 2023. The dynamism, style and flair that these two cricketers exude fits the message that we want the brand to stands for with their undying passion for the game.” 

 According to ASN data, energy drink brands have invested slightly over US$119.2m in the Asian sponsorship market since Q121, with Thailand’s Carabao (20.4%) leading the market share, followed by Monster Energy (15.8%) and Red Bull (11.9%) completing the top 3 brands in the category.  With revenue in India’s energy and sport drinks market amounting to almost US$5.7b in 2023 and expected to grow annually by almost 6.4%, it would be no surprise more brands from the category to make more moves in the sponsorship industry.