The Super League Kerala has pulled off a rare feat even before its opening whistle, winning the advertising game. Its recent promo is not just a teaser for sport but a mini cultural event, a casting coup that brings together politics, cinema, and language in a way that feels unmistakably Malayali. Though the brand had come up with an ad with superstar Prithviraj first, its following campaign with Shashi Tharoor just changed the game for the brand in terms of advertising. The ad film opens with Shashi Tharoor answering a call from actor-director Basil Joseph, who cheekily warns him that Thiruvananthapuram is 'all set to lose to Calicut,' the reigning champions. What follows is a volley of wit: Tharoor, with his trademark grandeur, retorts that the capital city cannot lose when it has 'something extra special' this season, himself, and his 'sesquipedalian eloquence.'
What makes the ad sparkle is not just the humour but the ease with which it shifts between registers. Tharoor, often teased for his love of long-winded English, switches nimbly into Malayalam, reminding viewers that language itself can be a stage. The cultural pride that comes through is unmistakable. In one stroke, the Super League Kerala places itself not just in the realm of sport but in the tradition of Malayalam advertising that thrives on wit, wordplay, and a deep understanding of its audience’s psyche.
Harish Bijoor, Brand Guru & Founder, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc. says, “Regional sports leagues typically like the power of social media to create hungama with a star. In this case, we have Shashi Tharoor being the center point of it all. Fundamentally, there is one piece of advertising and then a whole lot of memes which are attracted from across the border. Particularly when it's a city versus city soccer league, you will hear a lot of patriotism coming together. There is a fun banter that goes beyond sport and beyond anything. Kerala's advertising is a language in itself. If you look at it, there is a Malayalam accent, which is completely, something which a Kerala person emotes with. An ad without it is not an ad at all. To an extent, this is what battles against the English-accented Shashi Tharoor. And a good mix of that has been achieved in the space of advertising, wherein Shashi Tharoor also speaks in Malayalam. There is a good bit of banter. And banter makes for memorability.”
Building on the buzz from the Tharoor promo, the Super League Kerala has now upped the ante with a follow-up featuring superstar Prithviraj. In this latest video, Basil Joseph calls Prithviraj first, referencing his previous playful challenge to Tharoor and asking the actor to call Tharoor for a reply. The banter is just as witty, and the campaign leverages Prithviraj’s mass appeal to heighten anticipation for the league. Within hours of release, the clip has gained traction on social media, showing how the league is turning its advertising into a serialised, must-watch event, blending sports, celebrity culture, and regional humour.
Take Mohanlal’s recent turn for Vinsmera Jewels. The ad eschews the usual theatrics of grand weddings and temple-gold nostalgia. Instead, the superstar, dressed in the simplicity of a shirt and trousers, quietly admires a necklace, bracelet, and ring meant for a female model. With a twinkle in his eye, he pockets the jewellery set and slips away into his vanity van. The move is mischievous, disarmingly modern, and a reminder that even Kerala’s most traditional advertising categories can find freshness through playfulness.
Ashok Lalla, an independent marketing & brand advisor highlights, “Regional leagues like Super League Kerala naturally focus on engaging with local fans to a greater extent than say IPL whose franchise appeal extends more widely and way beyond the city related to the franchise. The other audience for such regional leagues is the diaspora living outside the state and country. For regional leagues, local level fan and community engagement can play a big role in making a franchise and the overall league popular and successful. Bollywood and cricket stars are usually overused and that probably creates a blind spot with the audience seeing their ads. Shashi Tharoor is a widely popular celebrity (but not in the conventional sense) and his appeal goes beyond just Kerala or Malayalis.”
Lalla adds, “Audiences are widely distributed across multiple media touchpoints. Purely regional advertising and idioms may not travel as widely and be as impactful as compared to content with a wider appeal but selective regional nuances. That done well can create a win-win for advertisers and their audiences.”
The Kerala Soccer League’s campaign stands on the shoulders of this legacy. It understands that in a state where cinema stars, monsoon rituals, and linguistic pride are touchpoints, advertising must go beyond selling to create shared cultural moments. Tharoor’s tongue-in-cheek sesquipedalian punchline or Mohanlal’s quiet rebellion in a jewellery spot embody the same principle: ads here work because they are deeply in tune with their audience’s humour, rhythm, and codes of pride.
Harish further adds, “The Kerala model of advertising is quite unique to Kerala. I do believe this can be replicated in West Bengal for sure because West Bengal is equally culturally rooted and there is a great degree of savvy in the language, wit and culture. But not many other states, Kerala and West Bengal are quite unique.”
In fact, Kerala’s regional advertising push holds lessons for other states. Tamil Nadu’s marketing culture has long leaned on the larger-than-life aura of its cinema icons, from Rajinikanth to Vijay. Karnataka’s regional campaigns often emphasise tradition anchored in family and festivity, while Bengal thrives on nostalgia and literature. Kerala, by contrast, carves its identity with wit, linguistic play, and cultural cheek. It’s advertising that doesn’t just borrow from popular culture, it becomes popular culture. And now, with the Soccer League leaning into that same legacy, the sport is already winning where it matters most: in the hearts and conversations of its audience.
