ANZ AND TBWANZ TACKLE THE ‘TWO-TEAM’ DILEMMA WITH RAVI SHARMA-LED CRICKET SERIES

ANZ and TBWANZ have launched Cricket Conundrum, a seven-part social media series celebrating the complex loyalties of multicultural New Zealand cricket fans. Fronted by popular advertising character Ravi Sharma, the campaign coincides with India’s tour of New Zealand and highlights the enduring appeal of ANZ’s Two Homes platform.

As India’s cricket team arrives in New Zealand for a multi-format tour against the BLACKCAPS, ANZ and TBWANZ are turning a familiar fan dilemma into the centrepiece of a new social content campaign.

The pair have launched Cricket Conundrum, a seven-part social media series that explores the competing loyalties many multicultural New Zealanders experience when their country of birth faces the country they now call home.

At the heart of the campaign is Ravi Sharma, a long-running and much-loved character from ANZ’s advertising who has become a recognisable figure for Kiwi audiences over the past five years. In the series, Ravi is confronted with a sporting predicament shared by many fans as India and New Zealand meet across T20, One Day International and Test matches. Faced with choosing between the team of his heritage and the team of his adopted home, Ravi embodies the emotional balancing act that sits at the core of the campaign.

The series has been developed to celebrate India’s tour of New Zealand while also shining a spotlight on ANZ’s Two Homes jersey initiative. The platform acknowledges the reality that many New Zealanders maintain deep personal, cultural and emotional connections to more than one country.

According to ANZ General Manager Marketing Matthew Pickering, the campaign uses humour and familiarity to revisit a brand platform that continues to resonate strongly with audiences.

“Ravi is a character New Zealanders genuinely know and love, and the India tour presented the perfect opportunity to put him in a relatable situation,” Pickering said.

“For many fans, supporting cricket isn’t straightforward, especially when your old home and your new home are on opposite sides of the pitch.”

He added that the Two Homes jersey is designed to celebrate identity, community and cricket, with Cricket Conundrum bringing those themes to life in a way that feels entertaining and uniquely New Zealand.

For TBWANZ, the campaign also demonstrates the value of sustained character-based storytelling. Chief Creative Officer Shane Bradnick said Ravi’s long-term presence in ANZ advertising has created a strong connection with audiences, allowing the brand to continue building on his story in fresh and engaging ways.

“Ravi has become one of those rare advertising characters that people have invited into their lives over many years,” Bradnick said. “Audiences know him, are invested in his story and that gives us the opportunity to keep finding new, humorous ways to explore his experiences.”

Rather than urging fans to choose one side, Bradnick said the creative team sought to celebrate the reality of dual allegiances. He described the approach as an unexpected position for a sports sponsorship campaign but one that reflects the lived experience of many people in modern New Zealand.

The social series forms part of a wider programme of ANZ activity surrounding the tour. Alongside Cricket Conundrum, the bank is delivering match-day fan experiences, community engagement initiatives and the return of the Two Homes jersey in 2026.

The campaign also includes a Radio Tarana competition offering a young supporter the chance to become the ANZ Coin Toss Kid, while a separate social promotion aims to place more Two Homes jerseys into the hands of cricket fans across the country.

As India and New Zealand prepare to meet on the field, ANZ is betting that many supporters will recognise themselves in Ravi’s light-hearted struggle, proving that in today’s multicultural New Zealand, sporting loyalty is not always a simple choice.