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An Island-wide Celebration of Young Sri Lankan Artists

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An Island-wide Celebration of Young Sri Lankan Artists

Campaign Overview

To commemorate World Children's Day 2024 and Maliban's 70th Anniversary, Artslab Creatives, in collaboration with Ogilvy and MullenLowe, launched the "Yahagunakam - Rasa Siththam" art competition. Aiming to inspire young artists across Sri Lanka, this campaign invited children aged 3 to 12 to submit their creative drawings under the theme "Enduring Goodness." Winning artworks were illuminated onto the Town Hall Building of Colombo using cutting-edge building projection mapping and laser technology.

As Sri Lanka’s pioneer biscuit manufacturer, Maliban has been a household name for over 60 years. The brand wanted to reinforce its legacy while nurturing youth creativity and celebrating the enduring values that Maliban represents. The campaign set out to encourage nationwide participation while strategically aligning with their mission: to create products that parents would trust to give their own children.

The Challenge

1. Engaging Young Artists Nationwide

One of the key objectives was to ensure broad participation across different regions of Sri Lanka, reaching children from all backgrounds and communities. Encouraging children to actively engage in an art competition required a compelling strategy, utilizing both traditional and digital channels to maximize outreach.

2. Navigating a Regulatory Shift

A new regulation effective January 1, 2025, placed restrictions on featuring children under ages 12 in food and beverage advertising, including direct, indirect, or implied promotions. This meant that Maliban, a brand deeply associated with families and children, had to rethink its marketing approach to ensure compliance while still celebrating and appreciating children’s contributions. The challenge was to honor young artists without displaying or advertising them in a way that contradicted the upcoming legal framework.

The Artslab Solution

Artslab Creatives, together with Ogilvy and MullenLowe, executed a multi-platform strategy to ensure the campaign’s success:

Strategic Roles and Execution:

  • MullenLowe conceptualized the campaign's aesthetics, developing the branding, logo, and theme. They also conducted on-ground school and town activations, leading to 17,000+ entries through these engagements.
  • Ogilvy managed paid media and advertising across digital, TV, radio, and print. Notably, newspaper ads featured blank art boards, allowing children to draw directly on them and submit their work. The campaign secured front-page newspaper coverage and launched across all traditional and digital platforms on October 1st.
  • Artslab Creatives handled digital infrastructure, creating a website landing page and a dedicated WhatsApp submission channel, resulting in 4,500+ digital entries through this channel alone.

Together, these efforts generated over 20,000 entries from across Sri Lanka. Due to overwhelming participation and success of the campaign, the competition deadline was extended beyond the initial cutoff.

The Results

  • Massive Participation: Over 20,000 entries were submitted nationwide, demonstrating the competition’s widespread appeal.
  • Groundbreaking Art Exhibition: The finale event on February 4, 2025, featured what was claimed to be Sri Lanka’s first and largest laser-powered projection art exhibition, held at Town Hall, Colombo. Winning artworks were projected onto the Town Hall building, creating an unforgettable visual spectacle.
  • Recognition & Awards:
    • The top 70 young artists were recognized for their exceptional creativity.
    • The top 3 winners received cash prizes, reinforcing Maliban’s commitment to nurturing young talent.
  • Widespread Media Coverage:
    • Secured front-page newspaper features, driving greater visibility.
    • Amplified brand presence across TV, radio, and digital platforms.

The "Yahagunakam - Rasa Siththam" campaign was more than just an art competition, it was a celebration of creativity, childhood, and Maliban’s 70-year legacy of trust and quality. The campaign effectively blended traditional marketing, digital innovation, and experiential branding, proving that collaboration between industry-leading agencies can drive extraordinary results. Artslab Creatives created a landmark campaign that not only achieved its marketing objectives but also pioneered a new approach for ethical, regulation-compliant brand storytelling.