Kudos for Naija Highlandah Campaign activations as grand finale beckons

As the countdown to the November 12 grand finale of William Lawson’s The Naija Highlandah Challenge continues, it has been fun and endorsements by Nigerians in the ongoing activation phase of the campaign.

Recall that William Lawson’s The Naija Highlandah Challenge is a search for the boldest, most unconventional Nigerian, who lives by his or her own rules. It involves daring participants competing through a series of games to win the grand prize of N2 million and a trip to Scotland.

The ongoing games have again brought the adventurous spirit of Nigerians to the fore, aligning perfectly with the bold and unconventional character of the disruptor whisky brand in supermarkets and lounges where the games are happening.

Like they did in week two, ambassadors and influencers dialed up the excitement at lounges, including the Bamboo Lounge in Ikeja GRA, Q4 on Awolowo Way, Ikeja, Esporta Magodo, and Jacoin Bar, Surulere last weekend. They were also at supermarkets, including JustRite outlets at Iyana Ipaja, Ojodu and Dopemu and Shoprite, Ikeja City Mall.

Interestingly, both male and female contestants caught the excitement bug at the activations, with ladies insisting on participating in some men’s games just for kicks. Several women participated in The Walk-A-Plank game involving men in high heels who are timed and need to walk briskly on raised thin planks. They were, however, not scored on this, as it was just for fun. Women also attempted planking, though several hilariously just laid on the floor. Other games fun seekers tried during the week were spin the bottle, animal imitation and balloon games.

Unconventional games were Kaku Meter and Pull No Spill. For ‘Kaku Meter’, contestants guessed the length of the bar counter – measured according to the length of a horizontally laid William Lawson’s bottle while each person was allocated a William Lawson’s branded cup filled to the brim for the ‘Pull No Spill’. Using tissue from a toilet roll, they pulled the glass toward themselves without wetting the tissue. The wetter it gets, the more likely it is to tear. Contestants were judged on who got the cup closest to them in 30 seconds.

While people at the bars and lounges were more boisterous and eagerly embraced the games, those at supermarkets were a bit more reserved. But as one of them admitted, they should have embraced the games more fully if they really wanted to be among the Top 10 participants with the best Highlandah attitude and the highest number of points to battle it out for the ultimate Naija Highlandah title.

However, they attested to the quality of the beautiful whisky, disclosing that it had become their favourite since its debut in the Nigerian market. They also affirmed their loyalty to the brand and expressed appreciation for the campaign.

“This whisky has been my preferred brand since it came to Nigeria some years ago. I was wowed when this campaign started because I saw the activation train with males and females wearing kilts. This campaign is just only reinforcing my loyalty to the brand. It’s William Lawson’s for me all the way,” Adeolu Yaya said at ShopRite, Ikeja City Mall.

A fun seeker at Bamboo Lounge, Ikeja GRA, Albert Okon, commended the brand as well as the games. He noted, “William Lawson’s is a very nice brand. The blend is okay, and I had fun. The games were interesting, the personnel in charge were also friendly, and we all laughed all through. It’s a very nice experience for my friends and I. I would love more of this kind of experience.”

Impressively too, the number of participants in the challenge has continued to increase. While 443 participated in week two, a total of 574 contested in week three, with 24 people scoring 80 points and above, the necessary score to qualify for the grand finale on November 12 at the Union Bank Sports Ground, Surulere.

Expectations are that by the end of the last activations happening at Fish Farm, Ogudu, Ice Age, Abule-Egba, Busy Body, Ikotun and Jendol, Abule-Egba and Ikorodu and Just Rite, also in Ikorodu, this weekend, the number of bold and daring Nigerians aiming for the N2 million and trip to Scotland grand prize would further increase. It would then be left to the organisers to explain how they would pick the top 10 from the qualifiers in the games.