For generations of Sri Lankans, travelling through Ratmalana has come with a familiar sensory experience.
The unmistakable smell of freshly baked biscuits from the Maliban factory.
It is a scent that has travelled far beyond the factory walls through memory, conversation and nostalgia. Known affectionately as the “Maliban suwanda,” it has become one of the brand’s most distinctive — yet largely invisible — assets.
Now, Maliban has found a way to bring that memory to life.
Through its campaign, created with Shuffl Studio, Maliban transformed 70 years of invisible nostalgia into an experience that people could encounter, remember and share.
An Asset That Could Not Be Seen
For Maliban, the campaign began with an insight rooted in the brand’s long-standing relationship with Sri Lankan consumers.
The iconic smell of freshly baked biscuits from its Ratmalana factory had become part of the collective memory of millions. It was something many Sri Lankans had heard about and associated with the brand, even if only a few had experienced the scent directly.
This made the “Maliban suwanda” more than just the smell of a factory. It was an emotional connection built over decades.
Rather than simply telling audiences about this legacy, Maliban set out to give people an opportunity to experience it.
Through film, music and craft, the campaign recreated a sense of nostalgia and brought a familiar but intangible part of the Maliban story into the spotlight.
Bringing the Maliban Suwanda to Life
The next step was to take the experience beyond the factory.
Maliban’s R&D team recreated the original “Maliban suwanda” from scratch, developing a version of the scent that could be packaged and transported.
For a scent that had spent decades associated with one particular location, this opened up an entirely new possibility.
Maliban could now take a piece of its heritage directly to the people.
The experience travelled to bus depots, highway exits and bus stands across the country, allowing people to encounter a scent that had lived in Sri Lankan memory for generations.
When Nostalgia Becomes Personal
What followed was perhaps the strongest validation of the campaign’s central insight.
People began sharing their own memories and reactions to the experience. Thousands responded with stories and sentiments connected to the familiar smell and what it represented to them.
The response demonstrated that the connection was already there.
The campaign did not need to create nostalgia from scratch. Instead, it tapped into something that had existed organically between Maliban and generations of Sri Lankans.
The conversation even reached the Sirimal Uyana community in Ratmalana, where the campaign made its way into the local community WhatsApp group.
A Story That Continued Beyond the Campaign
As people experienced the activation, the campaign began to travel organically online.
Content creators and audiences started sharing their experiences, allowing the story of the “Maliban suwanda” to move beyond the original campaign and into wider conversations.
The campaign also caught the attention of marketers and content creators, who began analysing the idea behind it — recognising the value of an invisible brand asset that Maliban had built and owned for 70 years, now brought to life through scent branding.
Back in Ratmalana, the connection became even more tangible when campaign stickers were spotted on tuk-tuks — another sign of how the idea had resonated with the community connected to the original story.
More Than the Smell of Biscuits
The strength of the campaign lies in what the scent represents.
For Maliban, the “Maliban suwanda” is not simply the aroma of freshly baked biscuits. It represents decades of familiarity, journeys, childhood memories and a connection built with Sri Lankan consumers over generations.
By taking that invisible asset and transforming it into a physical experience, Maliban found a new way to celebrate a legacy that has existed for 70 years.
The campaign has also received widespread coverage across regional marketing and industry media, extending the story beyond consumers and into the wider creative and marketing conversation.
Making the Invisible Visible
At a time when brands are constantly looking for new ways to stand out, Maliban’s story demonstrates the value of looking inward.
Sometimes, the most powerful brand assets are not newly created.
They already exist.
They live in the memories of consumers. In the emotions associated with a place. In experiences that have been quietly built over decades.
For Maliban, that asset was a scent.
The brand found a way to make 70 years of invisible nostalgia visible — turning a familiar memory into an experience that Sri Lankans could once again smell, feel and share.
Creative Agency: Shuffl Studio
Event & activation – MullenLowe Sri Lanka
Media – Ogilvy Sri Lanka
PR – HardTalk (Pvt) Ltd
Digital – Artslab Creatives
