High-end TV drama taps the marketing budgets of prestige brands in ways more usually seen in blockbuster movies
High-end TV drama taps the marketing budgets of prestige brands in ways more usually seen in blockbuster movies For viewers on this side of the Atlantic, HBO Original’s The White Lotus, which kicked off its third season on Sky last week after a two-year hiatus, is a lush drama that revels in a darkly comic skewering of the ultrarich.
For US consumers who watch the series streamed on Max it’s all that – but also a window into how a high-end TV drama can tap the marketing budgets of prestige brands in ways more usually seen in blockbuster movies. With its extensive brand collaborations and multi-category merchandising deals, it’s a shift from off-the-peg TV sponsorship to carefully curated and immersive partnerships. For the new series of Mike White’s Emmy-winning drama, American Express came on board and as well as ad break commercials surrounding the show, there’s a range of specially created content including behind-the-scenes vignettes aired on Max and delivered on social channels and on HBO’s show page. Videos feature cast interviews, clips and deep dives into the main characters' back stories.Owen Doyle: Ireland were major beneficiaries of the new 20-minute red card against WalesGoogle is another key sponsor with Max viewers served up an eight-part miniseries showcasing how the Gemini AI assistant on its Pixel phone works for world travellers. It is presented by Evan Ross Katz, host of The White Lotus Official Podcast – another marketing opportunity – who is joined by season three actor and Gen Z magnet, Nicholas Duvernay. The American Express sponsorship spills out from the screen into real life with the company hosting a range of cardholder events and promotions. These include offering its upper-tier customers access to White Lotus-themed wellness retreats in California and Thailand . There are travel guidebooks for Thailand as well as Hawaii and Sicily under the Amex Travel brand.Its Maui hotel was the setting for the fictional White Lotus resort in season one where filming took place during Covid. Season two was set at the Four Seasons San Domenico Palace in Sicily’s Taormina and the new run was filmed mostly at the spectacularly luxurious Four Seasons on Koh Samui. The impact on the hotel brand was immediate with the chain reporting a 425 per cent increase in visits to the website of its Hawaiian resort, an understandable reaction for locked-down viewers who could only fantasise about travelling. By season two, the White Lotus effect had truly kicked in; the Sicilian hotel was booked out for six months after its reopening following filming and now its chosen setting knows what to expect. To leverage the buzz around the new location, Finnair has already expanded its flight services to Thailand. The Four Seasons’ own monthly brand-tracking data showed that 71 per cent of respondents who were viewers of the drama said they intended visiting one of its properties – even though the resorts are not named in the series. The irony in this of course is that at its core, the drama satirises the hotel guests, presenting its cast of privileged Americans as mostly loud-mouthed philistines with more money than class, while the hardworking local staff have a knowing disregard for the swaggering ultrarich. There’s that and the repeated story arc that from the first scene signals that something dreadful has happened to a holidaymaker. Season one opened with a coffin on a plane; season two with a guest discovering a body in the sea, while last week’s ominous scene-setter featured gunfire in the resort and a dead body floating among the lily pads outside the spa. It shouldn’t, in classic PR theory, make viewers reach for their credit card and a booking site, but it does. The hotel chain has moved to formalise its relationship with the HBO drama – hence the American Express-backed wellness retreats but also screenings in its hotels around the world, themed wellness packages, as well as menus and cocktails inspired by the show. It is difficult to see an aspect of the series sponsorship that hasn’t been mined. Audiences are building. The season two finale in December 2022 attracted just more than four million viewers across all platforms and viewership across season two was 50 per cent more than season one. Of course, only a fraction of the viewers will ever check into these hotels but that doesn’t mean they can’t wear the T-shirt – and more. The White Lotus effect: Who’d associate themselves with such sickening decadence? Almost anyone who can afford to, it seemsAmong the items emblazoned with the fictional resort’s lotus logo available directly from HBO are fluffy white bathrobes and slippers, totes, cocktail glasses, sweatshirts and mugs. Brands that have signed partnerships deals with HBO include Abercrombie & Fitch, Away luggage ; Diageo’s Ketel One vodka, Kiehl’s skincare and Supergoop’s suntan lotion range. High-street fashion retailer H&M is releasing a White Lotus-inspired 25-piece collection, designed in collaboration with the show’s costume designer Alex Bovaird. “We always have this little catchphrase on the show: nothing’s too much for The White Lotus!” he says of the collection which features crocheted hot pants and billowing kaftans with lotus flower patterns and tropical colours. “We’re inviting fans to go beyond watching The White Lotus and truly experience it,” Pia Barlow, executive vice-president, Originals marketing, HBO and Max has explained. “By partnering with iconic brands and creating unique experiences, we’re extending the luxury within the series into real life – making The White Lotus something fans can indulge in.”Almost one in three Irish people expect to be repaying a mortgage at retirementI’m finding life in Australia’s capital surprisingly stress-free. But it’s not the dream everyone imagines Oesophageal cancer: Living without the classic symptoms, ‘I was fine, there was nothing wrong with me’
Please follow us on Google to support usIreland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The White Lotus Season 2: Everything You Need to KnowThe second season of HBO's acclaimed series The White Lotus is set in Thailand and features a new cast of characters entangled in a web of secrets and desires. Get all the details on the premiere date, plot, and star-studded cast, including Patrick Schwarzenegger, Natasha Rothwell, Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, and more.
Read more »
Bridget Jones and White Lotus season 3 – what to watch this weekThis week's picks include a Boyzone documentary, a film about a grandmother who gets scammed and sets out on a quest for revenge and another set in I
Read more »
The White Lotus Review: Season Three Has Its Finger on the Pulse to an Almost Excruciating DegreeThe White Lotus returns for its third season, exploring the darker side of the wellness industry and the complexities of American tourists abroad. The season features a star-studded cast, including Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Michelle Monaghan, and Lalisa Manoban, who portray a group of Americans whose holiday at a luxurious retreat in Southeast Asia takes a sinister turn.
Read more »
All The Changes In The White Lotus Season 3All The Changes In The White Lotus Season 3 All The Changes In The White Lotus Season 3All The Changes In The White Lotus Season 3
Read more »
10 New-In Pieces We Love This WeekFrom Sinead Keary luxurious pyjamas and The White Lotus x H&M’s new collection to Scandi-cool diamond rings; these are the ten new items to add to cart this week …
Read more »
Donald Clarke on The White Lotus effect: Who’d associate themselves with such sickening decadence? Almost anyone who can afford to, it seems‘These people are awful - oh, I so want to be them’ has always been a key component of the American dream
Read more »