Everyone knows India’s biggest cricket star, Virat Kohli has long running link with Puma. But he has decided to build sportswear brand of his own. On June 21, 2026, Virat Kohli’s Brand, One8, made its global premiere at Yashobhoomi in Delhi. But this was not only typical product launch. It brought together cricket, Punjabi music, exclusive sneaker drops and live brand experiences.
One8 brand grabs attention from Kholi’s collaboration with Karan Aujla and its unexpected partnership with District by Zomato. So, what made One8 brand relaunch different? In this case study, we will study One8’s marketing strategy, the collaborations behind it and what the reported campaign results reveal.
| What was One8’s marketing strategy in 2026? One8 is sportswear brand co-founded by Virat Kohli and owned by Agilitas Sports. Its 2026 relaunch combined celebrity branding, Karan Aujla’s cultural collaboration, exclusive sneaker drops and experiential marketing through District by Zomato. All these strategies together helped One8 attract people’s attention, encourage early purchases and create memorable launch experience. |
What is One8? A Quick Look at Virat Kohli’s Brand
One8’s brand name originated from Virat Kohli’s jersey number which he wore for India for years. Brand originally launched in collaboration with Puma, offers lifestyle and sportswear products. In December of 2025, Agilitas Sports made the announcement that it has acquired One8, signaling new phase of development for the brand.
Virat Kohli entered Agilitas as an investor and co-founder of One8, causing the emphasis to change towards development of an independent Indian brand for sportswear of high profile with aspirations for growth worldwide.
| Brand Details | Information |
| Brand name | One8 |
| Original launch | November 2017 |
| Co-founder | Virat Kohli |
| Earlier association | Puma |
| Current brand owner | Agilitas Sports |
| Global premiere | June 21, 2026 |
| Main products | Footwear, apparel and accessories |
| Brand positioning | High-performance Indian sportswear with global ambitions |
Why Did Virat Kohli Relaunch One8 in 2026?
Virat Kohli’s brand One8 was not new launched brand in 2026. In 2017 One8 arrived at the market thanks to its partnership with Puma. It enabled the brand to get to its target consumer, although it was not fully-fledged independent sportswear brand.
However, in December 2025 Agilitas Sports bought the brand. In addition, Kohli joined the number of Agilitas investors which allowed him to go further than only a normal sponsorship contract.
As noted by Business Standard in its report on the acquisition, Agilitas aimed to turn One8 into an independent high-end sportswear brand having plans on international expansion.
But the task was not easy.
How could One8 create its own brand in a niche already filled with known global sportswear brands?
The 2026 relaunch was an opportunity to create this new brand.
One8’s Brand Journey: 2017 to 2026
- In 2017, One8 launched in the market, in partnership with Puma.
- In Dec. 2025, Agilitas announces its acquisition of One8, with Kohli joining as an investor.
- In June 2026, One8 holds its global premiere as an independent sportswear brand in Delhi.
One8 Relaunch Results: Did the Marketing Strategy Work?
Now the question is, will One8 relaunch with global premiere ‘NeverDone’ work or not? So we studied their campaign results and here they are:
| Campaign Metric | Reported Results |
| Impressions within 36 hours | 250M+ |
| Pre-orders before launch | 5000 |
| Website orders in first week | 20000 |
| Initial community members | 5000 |
These figures imply that One8 succeeded in attaining two key objectives: one is gaining broad awareness and second is creating initial orders for its product.
The number of impressions of over 250 million indicates the campaign’s strong reach, while the received orders prior to the launch and during the first week on the website imply that interest in the product extended beyond just viewing the advertisement.
However, potential customers reached through impressions are different from actual reach of the advertisement, and orders cannot indicate how many customers would come back.
Based on these statistics, one thing we can conclude is that the launch was successful, but the success will depend on the quality of the products offered and whether customers will like them, with further orders following in their wake.
Virat Kohli’s One8 Marketing Strategy: 6 Bold Moves Behind the Relaunch
Only Virat Kohli’s face value is not the only reason for the One8 brand relaunch success. Its launch connected celebrity influence, music, limited products, storytelling and real-world experiences.
Here are six strong marketing strategies that made the campaign worth studying.
1. Virat Kohli’s Personal Branding: 271M Followers as Free Marketing Gadget
As everyone knows Virat has spent years building an image around fitness, discipline, consistency and performance. One8 brand used similar values to shape its identity as sportswear brand. Kohli’s Instagram presence of 271M followers and average reel views of 70M acts as one of the most powerful zero cost marketing strategies.
But the best part was his involvement in business. He did not simply continue as brand ambassador of Agilitas but invested funds in the firm and became co founders of One8 brand. The Agilitas also confirmed that Kohli participated in the creative process of the brand.
This turned the campaign into strong narrative: Kohli was not just wearing the shoes, he helped to build the brand.
This is an example of celebrity branding strategy based on the founder’s personality rather than their popularity.
| Marketing Takeaway: Celebrity influence can attract attention but believable connection between person, product and brand’s values makes the message stronger. |
2. Karan Aujla × One8: Most Powerful Celebrity Collaboration
Did you ever think, what happened when most famous Indian cricketer collaborated with one of Punjabi superstar singers?
Both have different fan following audiences, but suddenly both audiences follow same brand. That makes One8 partnership with Karan Aujla interesting. Virat Kohli also has very large audience of cricket and fitness fans. Karan Aujla brings his fan following through with Punjabi music, fashion and youth culture.
- One8 welcomed Karan Aujla officially as cultural collaboration partner and make relationship stronger than one time celebrity appearance.
- His performance at global premiere event was not just business announcement, he made event into entertainment moment.
This brand collaboration strategy was based on simple thought: individuals who may not be interested in sportswear launch may also be attracted to an occasion featuring Karan Aujla.
Additionally, it gave the fans of both cricket and music topics for conversation.
| Marketing Takeaway: Successful collaborations are not necessary between similar brands but among audiences that share interests, principles or common culture. |
3. District by Zomato Collaboration: Made Purchases Into Experiences
Mostly brands launch products and then invite customers to event. But One8 brand tried different approach. In partnership with District by Zomato, One8 connected product bookings directly to access of event.
The campaign was first launched with ‘Notify Me’ feature on May 24, 2026. From June 3, customers began ordering eligible One8 footwear via District and secured access to exclusive global premiere.
In simple words, this means that buying product guaranteed you entry to the launch event. This marketing approach is called access commerce which means that making purchase gives you access to an additional experience.
Why does this smart move work?
Instead of inviting people to event and then assuming they purchase One8 brand shoes. One8 tied the purchase together with reward that everyone would be able to enjoy. Also, this way customers’ access to the event made them feel that they were part of the launch story from the beginning.
| Marketing Takeaway: Give customers strong reason to purchase early. Sometimes special access and launch experiences give more value than other discount offers. |
4. Experiential Marketing
Mostly other brands follow same pattern for product launches, such as celebrity appearance, product is revealed, photos are taken and then event ending. But One8 shoes brand wants visitors to experience brand rather than just watch its announcement.
At the June 21 premiere in Delhi, brand set up captivating space where it showcased products, an interesting live footwear factory, interactive installations, and fan engagement. At that event, the role of experiential marketing as part of the One8 marketing strategy became important.
Participants were given the chance to interact with the brand and create content that would link their experience to the product.
| Marketing Takeaway: Create immersive experiences for customers so that they experience brand and give them something to remember and talk about. |
5. Scarcity and FOMO Marketing
Virat Kohli’s brand One8 uses FOMO marketing strategy very well. They create feeling called fear of missing out in people. One8 used this idea with limited sneaker releases, exclusive event access and special product editions.
The initiative incorporated SEAM XVIII which is type of lifestyle sneaker inspired by cricket with its designs borrowed from the stitches of the cricket ball.
- Selected limited edition paired has signature of Virat Kohli.
- First purchases made through District allowed users to be part of the event along with the products.
| Marketing Takeaway: Limited availability is efficient only when such product brings real value to customers. In the absence of real value scarcity causes only short-term excitement without any trust. |
6. Social Media Buzz and Emotional Storytelling
One8 knows they need to create hype before product launch that people naturally want to share. Before global premiere, brand created campaign video featuring Virat Kohli at Mumbai’s Bandra Worli Sea Link. That large visual introduced campaign in unconventional way.
But One8 did not limit itself only to spectacle. They create another campaign for SEAM XVIII that touched upon Kohli’s relationship with his childhood cricket coach Rajkumar Sharma. In this campaign, Virat Kohli presented first pair of sneakers to his coach who shaped his cricket journey. One8 shoes brand combined such emotional moments with launch teasers, celebrity collaboration content, and event highlights to encourage social sharing and media coverage.
Why Is One8’s Marketing Strategy Different from Other Brands Marketing?
One8’s relaunch stands out because it connected different marketing activities to one bigger brand story. We deeply analyzed One8’s marketing strategies so this table shows why One8’s marketing strategy differs from traditional marketing:
| Traditional Marketing Strategy | One8’s Marketing Strategy |
| Celebrity appears in advertisement | Virat Kohli participates as co-founder |
| Brand introduces product | One8 connects its product with marketing event |
| Standard influencer promotion | Cricket and Punjabi music audiences collab together |
| Offer discount to encourage early purchase | Limited releases and event access encourage early bookings |
| Product features lead campaign | Product stories and immersive experiences support the launch |
That’s how One8 marketing approach stands out but that does not mean they avoid traditional marketing strategy. The main difference was connection between attention and action.
Kohli attracted interest, Aujla expanded cultural conversation, District connected purchases to event access, and ONE8WORLD gave buyers an experience. Each activity supported the others. So that coordination made the campaign more than just collection of promotional posts.
5 Marketing Lessons Every Brand Can Learn From One8’ Marketing Strategies
You don’t need huge budget or Virat Kohli’s popularity to learn something useful from its successful campaign. Here are five strong practical lessons that you need to follow:
1. Make Clear Brand Identity
One8 built its brand identity around fitness, discipline and performance. For example, if you started fitness studio, you need to build your content around real fitness journeys and member progress rather than posting only membership offers.
2. Collaborate With Right Audience
Karan Aujla has achieved cultural significance and created an audience that extends beyond cricket. For example. You have local clothing brand so you can collaborate with fashion creator whose followers genuinely match its target customers.
3. Give People Reason To Experience
ONE8WORLD created immersive experience for audience that gives them reason to talk about the brand. If you have opened new cafe, you can organize tasting event where customers try your signature dishes and share feedback.
4. Make Exclusivity Meaningful
One8 was able to relate certain purchases to limited products and events. Instead of giving only discount offers to customers, you can offer unique experiences to customers.
5. Measure More Than Only Views
Although the reported impressions by One8 are intriguing in and of themselves, orders offer additional insights into the effectiveness of campaigns. Try to monitor inquiries, conversions, costs of acquisition, and repeat purchases along with social engagement.
To learn how to plan, implement, and measure these kinds of campaigns, check out the practical digital marketing courses provided by Amritsar Digital Academy.
Wrapping Up
Virat Kohli’s brand One8 relaunch proves how brand can turn product announcement into much bigger marketing event.
By combining celebrity branding, cultural partnerships, exclusive products, emotional stories and real-world experiences, One8 gave people several reasons to talk about, discuss and purchase its products.
The early campaign figures suggest promising start, but the real test comes after the launch. Successful marketing is not just about getting people to notice your brand. It’s about giving them reason to choose it, remember it and come back.
If you want to learn more about marketing strategies of brands, you can read more case studies and stay tuned for next one.
