Disrupting The Internet With The Power of Creator Content: William Lawson’s Kenya

BRAND

William Lawson's

COUNTRY

Kenya

region

Africa

Duration

2017 - 2020

SYNOPSIS

Kenya is one of the fastest rising countries with widespread internet penetration & ease of digital access, which has led to an upsurge in digital content being created & consumed. When the brash & youthful whisky brand William Lawson’s wanted to establish their Highlander identity in the East African market, we helped them build a reputation over three years with content that made the brand stand out from a sea of whisky competitors.

Content & creators helped define the brand’s persona with #MyRulesMyLife, establishing a tone of irreverent, bold & masculine sense of humour that William Lawson’s is identified with globally. The top preferred content genres for both the brand & the Kenyan audience were linked to music, comedy & sports – and we tapped into all three interests to deliver the goods.

Read more on how we disrupted content trends & made our presence felt in Kenya, in true Highlander style!

200+ Content Pieces

Delivered with 4 top ranking content creators in Kenya, and supported by a host of amplifiers

18 Million+ Views

By that statistic, every urban Kenyan has seen a William Lawson's video once in their lifetime!

2 Million+ Conversations

Sustained conversations around their favourite 'mzinga', a Swahili slang word for a whiskey bottle!

When the whisky brand was planning on introducing itself & launching in the Kenyan market, already booming on other whisky brands, they wanted to make a mark & stand out from the competition in a huge way.

The objective was to spread awareness, build desire through strategic positioning & association building. The #BeTheHighlander campaign launched the product in the market with top comedian Eric Omondi & resulted in several pieces of branded content over our association of three years!

As our partnership with our creators grew stronger, so did our captive audience that grew into the brand’s image & appeal.

Eric's musical parodies covered all of Africa's pop culture - East Africa's biggies like Diamond Platnumz, Willy Paul Msafi to Congolese icons like Koffi Olomide, Innos B & even the late Michael Jackson - no one was spared!

In 2019-20, the roster diversified further with the new additions to the Highlander tribe in Kenya.

Popular R&B musician Willy Paul ‘Pozze’ is known to stir up conversations & for being the subject of adulation & strong public reactions through his bold moves & assertive personality in Kenya.

As he underwent a change of outlook & style with his image in East Africa, we got him onboard for his first brand campaign as an artist, taking on the mantle of representing the true Highlander in Kenya. The brand was aptly positioned through his attitude, personality, bold & masculine music video avatars… and obviously through his preference for great scotch whisky!

On The Gram

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCDICV-pYxR/

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8tR_arnZKB/

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-1oZCLHjtB/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCI19aHpV4e/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CANQOcuHnTJ/

https://www.instagram.com/p/B65IgsXHfGF/

On the other hand, we worked with YouTuber & Vlogger Xtian Dela to launch our first content-to-commerce campaign, with the ‘Highlander’s Big Deck’ card game. The cards involve Truth or Dare challenges, for people to play at home & promote at-home consumption.

The game could be purchased on various local e-commerce sites in a party package. The Pilot episode, released in parts on Xtian’s Instagram account, drove traffic to the website. The hype continues as Xtian takes the format to new waters, with a Live Stream format to play the game at home during the lockdown with his guests.

On The Gram

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-hZ7nLHn61/

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-mqtOWnxi8/

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-tieyrnbjD/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBiLW-Cnbqq/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBlYnKFHFr5/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCHAUURnct9/

We also roped in creator Seth Gor to appeal to the millennial Kenyan audience, through his relatable Vine style sketches & content about men, their love for sports & partying, relationship troubles & being responsible, with trending topics amongst the Nairobi youth through the William Lawson’s lens.

On The Gram

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAaP_cmBypB/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBfcRUejBaf/

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7tIWMDhjsE/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt0u0O7BHYm/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BoO8gIwn6UJ/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpohLYWHYC6/

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_hUp4FjzEu/

The narrative of the brand continues in Kenya, with bold, daring, masculine content that challenges conventions. While boys might enjoy their beer... real men drink a bold scotch, like William Lawson's! Cheers to that.

Disrupting The Internet With The Power of Creator Content: William Lawson’s Kenya

200+ Content Pieces

18 Million+ Views

2 Million+ Conversations

Video Gallery

On The Gram

On The Gram

On The Gram

Photo gallery

Highlights