Kerala Tourism UK F-35B advertisement; memes on popular shows and films
When a British F-35B stealth fighter jet made an emergency landing at Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram International Airport and then found itself unable to take off, it instantly got internet’s humorists going. Meme after meme flowed. But the moment marketing honours belonged to Kerala Tourism, it posted an AI image of the grounded warplane and showed it giving a five-star rating on its stay in Kerala. The text read: “UK F-35B – Kerala is such an amazing place. I don’t want to leave. Definitely recommend.” Followed by five golden stars.
It had the internet in whoops, and got global media coverage. Astonishing isn’t it that a State government handle could be so irreverent and witty?
“We give our social media agency a free hand,” a smiling Sikha Surendran, Director, Kerala Tourism, said describing how the tourism body won the Gold Award for ‘Most Engaging Social Media Campaign’ at the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) meet for its meme-led makeover series.
Riffing away
The entire series was a case study in perfect moment marketing riding on global entertainment trends. For instance, when the new Squid Game series released, Kerala Tourism dropped a pink soldier into the serene chaos of Munnar’s misty hills. To ride the wave of Superman’s latest release, the handle posted the superhero taking a break in the tranquil backwaters of Kerala. “The idea was that even heroes need a houseboat holiday,” quips Shelton Pinheiro, Executive Creative Director at Stark Communications – the ad agency which has handled the Kerala brand for over 20 years, and has been doing the social media duties.
“Even superheroes need a houseboat holiday,” quips Shelton Pinheiro on an ad showing Superman taking a break in the tranquil backwaters of Kerala.
As an April Fools’ Day twist, Kerala Tourism claimed that the Black Panther statue from Wakanda Forever was inspired by Simhapara at Kolukkumalai.
Totally au courant and on top of anything trending, the social media handle would come up with witty riffs that would spark a lot of discussion and lead traffic on to Kerala Tourism’s pages. For instance, inspired by Maurizio Cattelan’s duct-taped banana that rocked the art world as it sold for millions of dollars, Kerala Tourism came up with its own arty banana post, playing up all the offerings in the State.
Changing the discourse
So, how did this communication style evolve? Pinheiro says it all started post Covid. Till then they had been very nuanced and careful, keeping brand sensitivities in mind. “But Post Covid we were forced to communicate through digital platforms a lot. Perhaps the first lighthearted take was with the ‘Change of Air’ campaign that Kerala Tourism did, which was initially a take on Covid but later also on the Delhi air pollution issue.
“The client was fine with that, We thought that humorous takes on current events were working for us. So we started working on witty takes and developed memes as a tool,” says Pinheiro.
Crossover element
Pinheiro points out how there is always a “crossover” element in the Kerala Tourism campaigns, which is deliberate. “Our markets were international. And Malayalis were present globally. So we responded to entertainment events around the world.” The overall reach of the meme makeover series was 1.2 million while engagement was 89.7k.
Breaking Pappadam!
Last year, for its Onam Fest State of Harmony campaigns, it blended global fandoms with festive flair, launching a meme-driven series riding on Breaking Bad, Homelander and Thor. For instance, there was a picture of an Onam sadya with pappadams atop with the title ‘Breaking Pappadam’.
Beyond memes, Pinheiro says, the agency also used music in a big way. For instance, Kerala Tourism collaborated with the band When Chai Met Toast for a music video campaign for its Honeymoon Holidays promotion. The song ‘Yellow Paper Daisy’ was filmed in picturesque locations like Munroe Island, and highlighted the State’s unique romantic attractions.
There was also a memorable football rap and a hip hop “Kerala saar” that rode on the internet trend “100 per cent literacy Sir”.
And, now that Kerala is positioning itself as a big destination for weddings, Stark is keeping the crossover element going in its communication. It collaborated with Indian-American singer Vidya Vox for a romantic video song “Shubha Mangalyam” featuring lyrics in English, Hindi and Malayalam, and showcasing the natural beauty of Kerala. The video was a viral hit.
What has been the impact in terms of tourist arrivals? Says Pinheiro, “The purpose was audience engagement, crossover engagement and to talk to the next set of travelers through these memes and culture. Somehow, it has resonated and youngsters now feel that Kerala is their kind of place.”
Published on August 25, 2025
