What’s in a name: Laphroaig’s point of view

Do you mind when your name is mispronounced? (It’s a proper noun, right?) There are luxury brands that introduce themselves with a tasting note, a heritage story or a suitably grand expression of craftsmanship. Laphroaig, instead, has a rather more entertaining problem to solve: nobody quite knows how to say its name. And rather than correcting the room, the Islay single malt has decided to make a conversation out of it!

With Friends of Laphroaig, a new social first series created with Brut India, the whisky brand takes its most frequently asked question, “How do you pronounce Laphroaig?”, and turns it into four weeks of banter, curiosity and celebrity chemistry. The answer, for anyone still wondering, is La FROYG.

When mispronunciation becomes the conversation

The beauty of the campaign lies in its simplicity. Instead of treating pronunciation like a lesson, Laphroaig makes it part of the entertainment. Kalki Koechlin, Nimrat Kaur and Kunal Kapoor come together across the series, swapping guesses, roasts and rapid fire challenges around a name that has long been as distinctive as the whisky itself. The casting also carries a clever wink. All three actors are familiar with the experience of having their names confidently, and creatively, mispronounced.

The result is less brand tutorial and more very good group chat energy. The first episode, featuring Kalki Koechlin, premiered on August 6, with subsequent films and content drops set to roll out across Brut India’s digital platforms over four weeks.

More than a name

For Laphroaig, the pronunciation question is really an invitation. The campaign builds on something deeply intrinsic to the brand: its ability to provoke curiosity. Laphroaig has never been designed to disappear into the background, whether in flavour, character or reputation. Its smoky, peated identity is as unmistakable as its name is intimidating.

By beginning with a question that audiences are already asking, the brand gives itself an unusually accessible entry point into the world of whisky. You do not need to know the difference between peat and smoke, or have a working vocabulary of tasting notes, to participate. You simply need to be curious enough to ask. As Nobukazu Aoki, Head of Marketing and Innovations at Suntory Global Spirits, puts it, the idea is to celebrate “the confidence to ask questions and the joy of discovering something unique.”

Luxury, with a sense of humour

There is something refreshingly self aware about the approach. Luxury communication can sometimes take itself so seriously that the product begins to feel untouchable. Friends of Laphroaig does almost the opposite. It takes the one thing audiences may feel slightly embarrassed about not knowing and makes the confusion itself the entry point.

Shradha Singh, Chief Creative Officer at Brut India, describes the ambition as making a conversation about pronunciation feel like “the best group chat you’ve ever been in.” The chemistry between the three actors is central to that idea, giving the campaign an intentionally unscripted rhythm that suits social media far better than a polished brand lecture ever could. And somewhere between the joke and the reveal, the whisky gets its introduction. Laphroaig. La FROYG.

Consider that your first lesson! ⁠Link to the episode 1