A few weeks ago, William Lawson’s, the Scotch whisky brand that believes in defying norms and living life on one’s terms, kicked off Season 2 of its Naija Highlandah Challenge, following a successful first edition last year. In this interview with Thomas Olumagin, Head, Commercial Planning & Activation & Off Trade, Bacardi-Martini Nigeria, he tells GREGORY AUSTIN NWAKUNOR what to expect this year.

Naija Highlandah campaign started last year and the first winner emerged in November. Now that you have launched the campaign’s second edition, is it safe to give kudos to the first edition?
LAST year, we launched the William Lawson’s Naija Highlandah campaign in Nigeria. It was a total success, and we had over 5,000 consumers register to take part in the competition. Last year, Awatt Akinwale emerged the first-ever Naija Highlandah. This year, the quest is, therefore, to crown the next winner. Last year’s edition proved to be quite interesting and adventurous for all the participants, especially our final 15 contestants. As a brand, we were quite delighted at how the campaign went because it affirmed the fact that Nigerians love our brand and messaging.

What exactly is the Highlander personality all about? And how does it relate to Nigerians in terms of culture or lifestyle similarities?
The Highlandah personalities are our key brand attributes namely, bold, unconventional and good humour. The campaign is a celebration of the shared personality traits of boldness, unconventionality, and good-humoredness of the average Nigerian and the brand. With this challenge, we are looking for the boldest, most rugged, unconventional man or woman to be the face of William Lawson’s. I believe this directly relates to Nigerians, judging by what the challenge is all about. As you are aware, Nigerians are by far one of the most humorous, bold, daring, and unconventional people in the world, and we all know of the much talked about never-say-die Nigerian attitude to life. These are qualities of a Highlandah, and qualities that are synonymous with our brand attributes. Like Nigerians, the brand is known for defying the norm and being brazenly different. In fact, I believe that Nigeria is full of Highlandahs, and we are excited to see how Nigerians embrace the challenges again this year.

Having fulfilled the campaign promises to Awatt, the winner from last year, and with Nigerians looking forward to another Highlandah experience in 2023, what’s in store for bold and unconventional Nigerians this year?
As everyone would expect, this year’s edition will be more exciting, and more competitive. We are sure participants will have fun during the challenges. The competition is open to all individuals between 18 years and above who dare to take up the challenge. To enter, an interested participant only has to register on our website www.tnhng.com or scan the QR code on any of the campaign communication in various retail outlets. They will then receive an invitation to participate in the challenges staged at our various partner outlets, including supermarkets, bars and lounges. There they are pitted against each other to prove their Highlandah attitude. From these challenges, we will select the Top 15 contestants for the semi-final phase where they will compete at the grand finale event to be held on September 30, with one winner emerging as the Naija Highlandah 2023.
So, the finalists will emerge from the eight-week activations across partner bars and supermarkets, tell us more about the no-rules challenges for participants at these outlets.

The challenges awaiting our participants are a mix of heart-pounding excitement and laugh-out-loud hilarity. Think Spin the Bottle, Spell William Lawson Backwards, Football Trivia, and more! Not to mention bold challenges like Planking, Ice Cube Challenge, and unconventional challenges like Spin Around and Walk on a Straight Line. It is going to be quite exhilarating.

Tell us what is in it for the winner, this year?
First, this is an all-expense-paid trip to Scotland (in the UK), the home of William Lawson’s. If you know the brand very well, you will know that we don’t believe in half-measures. We are brazenly different. So, whoever emerges as the next Naija Highlandah is going to have the time of his or her life when he or she gets to Scotland – be prepared for a true adventure!
Tell us more about the storied heritage of William Lawson’s foremost blended Scotch Whisky with history dating back to 1849 and how it has remained relevant in a highly competitive global spirits’ market.

Starting from inception in 1849, William Lawson’s has become a world leading blended Scotch whisky, and a member of the Bacardi-martini stable of world leading spirit brands. Popular for the unique “no rules. great scotch” slogan, William Lawson’s is made at the iconic Macduff Distillery in Scotland. The brand is renowned globally for its iconic character “the highlander”, and a brand personality defined by the three unique attributes of boldness, unconventionality and good humour. Same daring, but exciting characters they are seeking amongst Nigerians. The Naija Highlandah campaign is one of the many ways we engage customers and ensure we continually stay relevant in the market. In summary, we are a disruptive brand. Ours is a unique scotch whisky like no other.

What is your message to fans, customers, and trade partners of the brand?
The challenges last year helped people realise their inner bold and daring attitude and encouraged people to enjoy their whisky any way they like – there are no conventional rules to how you drink whisky. It is about your personal preference and staying true to who you are. My message, therefore is simple – If you have what it takes, if you believe you possess all these key attributes, then show up at any of the outlets to participate. You never know, you may just be the next Naija Highlandah