Pass the Tanqueray gin and Ketel One vodka, White Lotus season 3 launched on Sky in the UK this week. Set in a luxury Thai resort, it’s spilling over with brands attempting to capture the magic conjured by show runner Mike White, ably assisted by a glamorous cast, a sensational setting, and a murder mystery.
The HBO series is now more of an entertainment property than a TV series. The tie up with Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts extends across all three series, and the travel brand now offers immersive real-life experiences too. An ever-extending merch range this year includes plush robes, pickleball sets, and cocktail recipe books featuring drinks made from partner alcohol brands.
American Express has White Lotus-themed travel guides, Bloomingdales is selling a fashion line, Away suitcases have a White Lotus range with “raffia-inspired accents,” while BMW, Google Pixel, AI tech Gemini, Abercrombie & Fitch, Kiehl’s cosmetics (owned by L’Oreal), Nest doorbells, and Coffee Mate are among the brands that have found their way into the White Lotus orbit.
Maybe in the US it looks different but so far, here in the UK, none of this detracts from the show, or is even too obvious. HBO has set itself up for success and is unlikely to fail: with viewership doubling between seasons 1 and 2, season 3 is guaranteed not just to get an audience, but to attract a lot of media coverage throughout the show.
Clever tricks like casting Thai rapper Lisa, part of South Korean K-pop group Blackpink, also build the hype and extend the audience’s global reach. The band’s well timed new single, Born Again, shrewdly features two major recording artists, Doja Cat and Raye.
Show runner Mike White promises this series is “longer, bigger, crazier” than the others. All that extra airtime is clearly being put to good (and very profitable) use. At this rate, brands will start to find that the luxury resort is overbooked.
