When Maitri became the first South Indian agency to bag a Grand Prix at the Abbys last year, it felt like a one-off moment. Turns out, it was just the beginning. The Kerala-based independent agency has done it again, this time sweeping multiple awards at both Kyoorius Creative Awards and Abbys 2025.
It’s not every day you see a regional agency go toe-to-toe with Mumbai and Delhi’s big guns and come out on top. But that’s exactly what happened when Maitri’s campaigns started picking up metals left, right, and center.
“We’ve always believed that there’s plenty of creativity in Kerala,” says Raju Menon, Managing Director of Maitri. “These wins affirm that you don’t have to leave home for the world to see your work.”
The Scam Ad That Wasn’t Actually a Scam
The biggest winner this year was Maitri’s BGMI campaign – and honestly, it’s brilliant in its simplicity. They created what looked like a typical scam ad for Battlegrounds Mobile India, complete with all the red flags you’d expect. Except it was actually exposing real scam ads. Meta? Absolutely. Effective? The awards speak for themselves.
The campaign nabbed three Kyoorius metals for Topical Film, Social Media Engagement, and Film Craft (Produced Under INR 10 Lakh), plus two Silver Abbys for Digital categories. Not bad for an agency competing against teams with budgets probably ten times bigger.
What’s impressive is how they managed to make something so niche – gaming scams – feel universal. Anyone who’s ever rolled their eyes at a “you’ve won a prize” notification could relate.
Going Viral in Malayalam (Yes, Really)
Then there’s Sandhesham, another BGMI film that did something most people would say is impossible – it became the world’s most viral gaming ad in a language spoken by just 0.4% of people globally. Let that sink in for a moment.
The secret sauce? Pure nostalgia. Maitri tapped into something every Malayalee gamer would recognize and feel connected to. It wasn’t trying to be everything to everyone – it was unapologetically local, and somehow that made it universal. The campaign earned two Blue Elephants at Kyoorius for Regional Film and Regional Digital and Social Media.
Villantine’s Day for Asianet was another winner that shows how well Maitri understands its audience. Taking Valentine’s Day and flipping it to focus on villains? It’s the kind of idea that sounds obvious in hindsight but takes real insight to come up with. The Blue Elephant it won at Kyoorius proves the jury thought so too.
The Secret Formula
So what’s Maitri doing differently? According to Francis Thomas, Group Creative Director at Maitri, it’s about staying true to their roots while thinking bigger: “Whether it was the satire in Thokkummoottil, the nostalgia of Sandhesham, or the humorous twist of Villantine’s Day, we tried to make each idea feel like it was born here but built to travel.”
Vincent Vadakkan, Group Creative Director at Maitri, has an even simpler test: “The question we always ask ourselves – is this something I’d send my friends?”
It’s refreshingly honest. How many campaigns would actually pass the “would I share this?” test?
Beyond the big wins, Maitri also picked up a Baby Elephant and several shortlists, including recognition under Young Maverick awards. The agency isn’t just having a moment – they’re building something sustainable.
The Bigger Picture
Sumit Raj, Director – Digital & Overseas Business, thinks their success comes down to relationships: “The best work comes from a place of mutual trust and respect, and we’re lucky we have that with our clients.”
But there’s something bigger happening here. Regional agencies across India are starting to make noise on the national stage, and Maitri is leading the charge from the South. They’re proving that great creative work doesn’t need a Mumbai or Delhi address.
The industry is taking notice. When a Kerala-based agency can create the world’s most viral gaming ad in Malayalam and make scam ads that aren’t actually scams, it’s clear the creative map of India is being redrawn.
For too long, “regional” felt like a limitation in Indian advertising. Maitri is showing it might actually be a superpower.
