Keells Meta Reels Impact Award recognition highlights Sri Lanka’s bold approach to AI-driven creativity, showcasing how innovation can transform moments of chaos into engaging, commercially successful content that resonates with audiences.
Keells and Enfection lead Sri Lanka’s AI innovation with Meta Reels Impact Award win
Keells Supermarkets and Enfection have made history by winning the coveted Meta Reels Impact Award for ‘Best of Innovation & Generative AI in Reels’ in the South East Asia region. The accolade sets Sri Lankan creativity on a global stage, surpassing submissions from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, and other emerging markets. The recognition was facilitated locally by Roar AdX and underscores how AI-driven innovation is transforming marketing and content creation in Sri Lanka.
The award-winning campaign was inspired by a uniquely Sri Lankan incident—a nationwide power blackout triggered by a meme-fuelled encounter between monkeys and a transformer. While many brands went quiet, Keells and Enfection seized the moment, turning an unexpected crisis into a culturally resonant opportunity.
Within 48 hours, the teams launched ‘Gizmo Gone Bananas’, a fully AI-generated reel featuring Gizmo, a mischievous chimp mascot. The reel humorously depicted Gizmo creating chaos while pursuing Keells’ new artisanal doughnuts. Leveraging generative AI, the content blended surreal visuals, AI-generated lyrics, and culturally relevant humour, transforming a national disruption into an instant pop culture moment.
The results were tangible. The campaign generated a 44.72% increase in doughnut sales, while the broader Prepared Food category experienced a 25% uplift. These metrics highlight the commercial potential of AI-driven content, demonstrating that creativity powered by technology can achieve measurable business outcomes.
Niresh Muthuratnanandan, Head of Omni Commerce, Digital and Loyalty at Keells, commented on the win:
“The success of our Meta Reels has been incredible, showing us how powerful it can be when creativity and technology work hand in hand. We’re genuinely happy to partner with Enfection, whose AI-driven innovation and fresh thinking continue to elevate Keells. Together, we’re not just creating great content, we’re shaping the future of how we inspire, engage and connect with our customers.”
For Enfection, the recognition reinforces the importance of cultural relevance, experimentation, and context-driven innovation in AI content. Azard Ameen, Associate Director of the Client Success Team at Enfection, stated:
“At Enfection, it has always been about doing novel things while staying rooted in the brand’s objectives and being genuinely attractive to the intended audience. With this video, we didn’t use AI just for the sake of using it. We used it because it was relevant to the context and added real value. This recognition is a testament to that approach.”
The campaign reflects a larger trend in the marketing industry: brands that adopt AI not as a gimmick, but as a strategic tool, can deliver content that is engaging, culturally resonant, and commercially effective. In the case of Keells and Enfection, generative AI was harnessed to create a narrative that connected deeply with Sri Lankan audiences, while also demonstrating the scalability of AI content for real-world business impact.
This achievement is significant for Sri Lankan brands, demonstrating that local teams can compete and win in highly competitive international markets. By leveraging AI and bold storytelling, Keells and Enfection have not only captured attention but also set a benchmark for how brands can innovate rapidly in response to dynamic situations.
Looking ahead, the success of Gizmo Gone Bananas signals that AI-generated content will become increasingly central to marketing strategies, particularly in fast-moving, socially driven campaigns. Brands that can combine cultural insight with technological experimentation are likely to drive both engagement and revenue growth in new and unexpected ways.
In conclusion, the Keells Meta Reels Impact Award win exemplifies how Sri Lankan creativity and AI-driven innovation can converge to produce content that is memorable, culturally relevant, and commercially successful. It is a compelling case study in the power of technology-enhanced storytelling, demonstrating that with imagination and strategic execution, brands can turn challenges into opportunities and elevate their global presence.