India — September 26, 2024 — Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), the world’s #1 AI CRM, today announced former Indian cricket captain and head coach, Rahul Dravid, as part of the company’s first advertisement campaign in India.
The “We help India businesses grow” campaign will highlight real-life success stories across industries from manufacturing, automobile, banking and financial services, retail and consumer goods, and healthcare, to showcase how Indian companies of all sizes are using Salesforce to transform their sales, marketing, and customer service to accelerate growth.
Dravid will appear in two advertisement films, with the former Indian team coach stepping out of his comfort zone of the cricket pitch to settle into a new business, to the surprise and amusement of his fans.
This portrayal is designed to highlight Salesforce’s ability to support businesses of all sizes and to inject entertainment into the B2B advert space. The second campaign film will launch in October.
The campaign uses a mix of traditional print, out-of-home advertising in large cities and towns, and airports, and cutting-edge digital strategies across popular social and media platforms. Crafted in collaboration with McCann Worldgroup, and Meraki Sport and Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., one of India’s leading sports marketing and consulting firms and led by Rahul Dravid, the campaign is designed to resonate with mid-market business decision-makers across India.
“Our brand campaign resonates with ambitious business professionals – men and women from companies of all sizes with goals of driving customer excellence and high growth companies – similar to what Rahul Dravid did in cricket and when he led his team to victory in the T20 World Cup,” said Nipun Sharma, Senior Director – Marketing, Salesforce India. “Dravid embodies trust, making him the ideal choice for Salesforce in India. Just as he has inspired champions, Salesforce is a trusted partner that empowers businesses to transform their sales, service, and marketing functions, helping them achieve extraordinary success.”
“I’ve always believed that strong values and a commitment to excellence are key to success, both in sports and in business. That’s why I’m excited about my association with Salesforce,” said Rahul Dravid. “Their focus on innovation, customer success, and giving back to the community aligns with the principles I hold dear. With platforms like Salesforce, Indian businesses have the tools to scale up, compete globally, and make a significant impact. I look forward to being part of this journey.”
“When Salesforce presented us with the brief, we knew we were in for something special. B2B communication conventionally has a more serious and straightforward approach, so we thought we could shake things up a bit, deliver a googly or two. And for a brand like Salesforce, a leader in its category, it’s mighty impressive that they were also game,” said Sambit Mohanty, Creative Head (North & South), McCann Worldgroup. “Of course, getting Rahul Dravid on board was just the icing on the cake. The effort going in was to keep it fresh, quirky, and clean, and we believe we have delivered so. To quote Dravid from the films, this one is ‘ek dum stadium ke bahar’.”
About Salesforce
Salesforce empowers companies of every size and industry to connect with their customers through the power of data + AI + CRM + trust. For more information about Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com/in
