Well, it’s different, they say – Gopinath Menon

Intriguing? Spooky? Whom is it addressing?
Eerie, surreal, spooky, intriguing. All these words were uppermost in my mind when I watched the three-minute film on Kerala Tourism.
I admit, I was glued to the TV set, waiting to know what exactly what was being advertised. The music added to the whole out-of-body experience.
So did I like it? Depends on how I saw it.
It is a very “different”, well-made film. The production values are impeccable.
Will it win awards? Most likely.
Will it attract tourists to God’s Own Country?
If that is the objective, I’m afraid Kerala’s moment will have to wait.
Ramesh Narayan
Communications consultant
It is tangentially different from all that has been done on Kerala Tourism till now. There are two kinds of mindsets that visit Kerala: There is a ‘traveller’ mindset and a ‘tourist’ mindset. The traveller is the intelligent guy, the explorer instincts are strong and the journey is as important as the destination. The other one, with the tourist mindset, is the LTC traveller, the pre-decided one.
This communication is clearly talking to the traveller mindset. It is a slow burn as it will take time to connect with the prospect and move the market.
It seems this is a classic case where inexpensive media such as the digital space has opened up room for an expensive creative route. The digital space will never be the lead medium as it lacks receptivity. It is intrusive in nature and interrupts. It is often rationalised as a low-ticket vehicle with potential. The reality is seldom will you find Net surfers with 180-second patience waiting to be enlightened. This is a big problem Kerala Tourism will have to face in the coming months.
On the other hand, if you look at the thousands visiting Kerala every year, the traveller mindset is unlikely to fall into the majority.
Gopinath Menon
Creative Media Strategist

(This article was published in the Business Line print edition dated September 30, 2010)