Thomas Olumagin: Exploring the Naija Highlandah Challenge’s Bold Narrative

As premium blended Scotch whisky William Lawson’s launches the second edition of its adventurous challenge ‘Naija Highlandah,’ the Head of Commercial Planning and Activation at Bacardi-Martini Nigeria, Thomas Olumagin,  in a recent conversation with 

Vanessa Obioha, delves into the campaign’s success, the essence of the Highlander personality, and the exciting prospects awaiting audacious and unconventional Nigerians

Last year, premium Scotch whisky William Lawson’s embarked on a quest to unearth Nigerians whose essence resonates with the whisky’s iconic character: the Highlander. Defined by Head of Commercial Planning and Activation at Bacardi-Martini Nigeria, Thomas Olumagin, as possessing the qualities of boldness, unconventionality, and good humour, the Highlander’s spirit echoes the heart of the campaign.

The themed Naija Highlandah challenge saw Nigerians flock to the event with enthusiasm, excited to be a part of this audacious journey. Over 5,000 participants registered to partake in the challenge held across Lagos, embracing the call to unlock their latent potential by conquering bold and daring trials. 

Week after week, participants gathered at select bars to prove their mettle, facing challenges ranging from Spin the Bottle to the exhilarating planking. Out of the myriad contenders, only 15 advanced to the finals, where Akinwale Awatt emerged as the inaugural Naija Highlandah champion. Hailing from Lagos and holding the roles of entrepreneur and talent manager while studying Economics at the National Open University (NOUN), Awatt’s victory was celebrated with a well-deserved N2 million cash prize and an all-expense-paid trip to Scotland, the home of whiskey.

Building on last year’s resounding success, William Lawson’s had proudly introduced the second season of its Naija Highlandah challenge in July. With higher stakes and greater expectations, the brand sets its sights on achieving new milestones and fostering more Highlandah spirits among Nigerians.

“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,”  Olumagin remarked.

With roots stretching back to 1849, William Lawson’s epitomizes audacious distinctiveness. Distilled at Scotland’s iconic Macduff Distillery, this blended Scotch whisky stands tall among the world’s leading spirit brands within Bacardi-Martini’s portfolio. Recognized for its distinctive slogan “No rules. Great scotch,” the brand’s hallmark figure, ‘The Highlander,’ symbolizes courage, unconventionality, and humour. Olumagin passionately emphasised how this legacy propels William Lawson’s to flourish amidst the relentless competition in both global and Nigerian spirits markets.

“The Naija Highlandah campaign is one of the many ways we engage customers and ensure we continually stay relevant in the market. Just as 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, we are seeking the same daring, but exciting characters amongst Nigerians. It also speaks volumes about our dominance in the market. We are a disruptive brand, a unique Scotch whisky like no other.”

Sharing more light on the campaign, Olumagin emphatically connected the qualities of the Highlander to the Nigerian spirit, a culture synonymous with courage, humour, and resilience.

“The Highlander personalities are our key brand attributes namely, bold, unconventional, and good humour. The Naija Highlandah 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. 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, William Lawson’s 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.”

Positioning itself as an inclusive brand dedicated to bringing out the best in its consumers, Olumagin emphasised that only responsible individuals aged 18 and above are eligible to join the challenge. 

“The competition is open to all individuals aged 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 communications 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,” he explained.

This year’s challenges are not in any way easy compared to last year’s when competitors tackled various challenges, such as Spin The Bottle, Animal Imitation and Balloon Games. There were also bold challenges, including the walk-a-plank game involving men in high heels who were timed and needed to walk briskly on raised thin planks. The two unconventional challenges were the ‘Kaku Meter’, where contestants must guess the length of the bar counter – measured according to the length of a horizontally laid William Lawson’s bottle and ‘Pull No Spill’, where each person was allocated a William Lawson’s branded cup filled to the brim.

For this season, Olumagin stated that the challenge is embracing the ‘No Rules’ slogan. 

“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.”

The coveted Star Prize for the Naija Highlandah 2023 winner is an all-expense-paid trip to Scotland, the birthplace of William Lawson’s. Olumagin’s promise of an unforgettable adventure aligns perfectly with the brand’s philosophy of being brazenly different, offering a unique experience in the home of this iconic Scotch whisky.

“First, this is an all-expense-paid trip to Scotland (in the UK), the home of William Lawson’s. If you know William Lawson’s 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!” A significant insight gained by the brand from the inaugural edition, as noted by Olumagin, was its role in awakening individuals to their inherent boldness and audacious spirit, fostering an environment where whisky enjoyment knows no boundaries. 

“There are no conventional rules to how you drink whisky. It is about your personal preference and staying true to who you are,” he concluded.