COLOMBO, SRI LANKA – ‘Kalumal Pokuna’, a first of its kind local campaign recently launched by YouLead and Isobar Sri Lanka taps into the deep-rooted belief Sri Lankan youth entertain about wealth and success being handed to them with shortcuts rather than hard work. The nonlinear media campaign wanted to trigger conversations around the futility of this belief, and the need to equip oneself with the necessary tools and knowledge to pursue success and prosperity. This social conversation around youth development was delivered with a refreshing and thrilling story universe about “Kalumal Pokuna”- The story of the Mystical Pond that magically transforms lives of those who drink from its magical depths.
By producing the Kalumal Pokuna campaign, YouLead and Isobar Sri Lanka aimed to empower youth to pursue and engage in new-found opportunities for skill development such as career guidance and entrepreneurship training made available to today’s youth.
Language links: Sinhala (video 1, video 2), Tamil (video 1, video 2)
With such an innovative and unique storyline, this riveting campaign caught the eye of social media overnight, and so with the help of organic social buzz, YouLead and Isobar Sri Lanka was able to achieve their goal to drive a conversation on inspiring Sri Lankan youth to take purposeful action towards pursuing personal and professional growth. “This campaign could be considered one of the first of its kind to use ‘Astroturfing’, as organic amplification, which means being bold and ready to take calculated risks along the way. Taking cues from the Hollywood hype machine, we give fans little bits of content every few days. Each element of the promotional campaign has been designed to give it legitimacy, and it even made a group of local treasure hunters team up to go in search for the mythical ‘Kalumal Pokuna’. commented Mohenesh Chamith Buthgumwa, Director, Isobar Sri Lanka.
In a time where it is difficult to tap into digital native youth across rural and urban Sri Lanka, this campaign helped to create a one-of-kind storyline to deliver a timeless message.
“Storytelling is a powerful tool in the digital age. Sri Lankan youth are extremely social media savvy and engaged. We are excited to have launched this unique campaign. We believe that the story of Kalu Mal Pokuna will inspire youth to think outside the box and take a proactive role in deciding their future while pursuing their dreams,” commented Neela Marikkar, Chairperson and Managing Director, Dentsu Grant Group.
The exceptional success of this digital campaign could not have happened without the dedication of industry veterans who hope to inspire the youth with their own success stories and the importance of hard work.
YouLead is a USAID funded project in Sri Lanka that aims to improve technical and vocational education training, with the purpose of creating a skilled workforce. The project aims to link local youth to more productive careers by undertaking activities to support and strengthen students, teachers, institutions and entrepreneurs.
Isobar Sri Lanka, a part of the Dentsu Grant Group, is the fastest growing digital agency in the country. The Company offers several vital digital services including creative content, paid search, programmatic buying, social media, display, ORM, mobile, analytics, and strategy consulting.
