With a slew of ‘White Lotus’ collabs, every brand is now looking for their ‘Barbie’ or ‘Wicked’ moment

They include collections by luggage brand Away, Abercrombie and Supergoop, as well as a new resort-inspired candle by home fragrance brand Nest New York. There are also some less-expected product collaborations, like “The White Lotus” x Coffee Mate, featuring Thai iced coffee and piña colada flavored creamers. These nonstop product tie-ins show no signs of slowing down. Brand marketers who spoke to Modern Retail broke down why glitzy Hollywood collaborations are so enticing. For one, retail brands, especially emerging ones, find these partnerships to be good awareness drivers. Moreover, brands are also being increasingly pursued for product tie-ins by the studios and media companies that own the IP. 

“Every call I have with an entertainment studio, they’re like, ‘This is the next big movie of the year,'” said Michelle Gabe, director of marketing and partnerships at Irresistible Foods Group, whose portfolio includes bread brand King’s Hawaiian and Grillo’s Pickles. Even though buzzy startups may get constantly pitched to do these types of collaborations, she advised companies to “stay true to the brand and not get too excited yourself.”

Brands as fans 

The interest in creating “White Lotus”-inspired product releases indicates that both young and established brands are thinking beyond blockbuster movies. 

Ashley Shaffer, CMO of brand consultancy Redscout, said that, oftentimes, “franchises of this caliber now feel like a massive freight train by the volume of conversation they consume.” It gives brands the opportunity to show their customers that they’re also fans of these franchises. 

“Studios have always known that brands help them extend their reach off the screen and into the real world,” Shaffer said. So as marketers see big IP partnerships for franchises like “Stranger Things,” “Squid Game” and “Barbie,” Shaffer said, “They can’t help but want that exciting spike for their brands.”

Some brands say that being a fan first helps create a more authentic product tie-in. For its part, iced tea brand Saint James is releasing its new mango flavor as a tie-in with “The White Lotus” season 3. The new flavor will also be served at American Express’s “The White Lotus at Four Seasons,” a luxury wellness retreat that popped up earlier this month.

Saint James Iced Tea CEO Brad Neumann said the brand is “always looking for collaborations that authentically align with our brand and resonate with our consumers.” In this case, he said, “The White Lotus” is a cultural phenomenon that spans generations, which makes it a fit for the young brand. “From the 20-somethings on my team to my wife, my parents and beyond, we all love and watch the show,” Neumann said. “We knew this partnership would connect with the right audience at scale.” The timing also worked out, as Saint James has been eager to introduce a mango flavor. 

But it’s not just customers that brands are looking to impress with these high-profile moments. “Retailers are increasingly looking for products that tap into pop culture and drive consumer engagement,” Neumann said. Like brands, retailers want exciting products on shelves that can help bring in fans and drive velocity. Limited-edition releases of products with pop-culture tie-ins fit that bill.

‘It’s part of the playbook now‘

Gabe of Irresistible Foods Group also explained that “these partnerships are definitely a big part of the marketing playbook now.” That’s especially true in light of the successful product licensing blitz for the “Barbie” and “Wicked” movies.

What the “Wicked” rollout cemented, Gabe said, was that even brands without official collaborations can find ways to participate in the marketing blitz. In particular, if a movie or show is known for a particular color scheme — like “Wicked” green or “Barbie” pink — brands can roll out new colorways or even just social media posts to participate in the conversation. Even small brands can opt-in because you can utilize your graphic designer to instantly create imagery and content,” Gabe said. That can just mean changing the website to pink and green or promoting products that fit the hues on social media. “I was very impressed with all the social media managers out there thinking very fast,” Gabe said.

Last summer, Kings Hawaiian did a partnership with the Minions franchise for the “Despicable Me 4” release. As part of the collaboration with Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment, the bread company was also featured in a meal combo sold at AMC theaters. Previously, Gabe had worked on Truff’s “Super Mario Bros” collaboration, also with Universal and Illuminations. 

“I think we’re going to see smaller brands having that opportunity to go after big collaborations,” she said. But big retail brands may also aim to get hyper-niche as a way to target specific audiences. 

Brands are indeed digging deeper to discover the next pop culture moment to attach their products to. Tea maker Art of Tea is leaning into entertainment and media partnerships this year, said Joelle Gringarten, the director of brand and partnerships.  

This month, Art of Tea has two new franchise-themed collaborations. One is a limited-edition bundle for the new “Sid Meier’s Civilization VII” video game. The other is a collaboration celebrating the U.S. release of the new “Paddington in Peru” film, with two tea flavors that tie into the plot: orange marmalade and Earl Grey vanilla.

According to Gringarten, in 2025, the brand is striving to embed itself into cultural moments through collaborations that target a wider range of customers, including gamers and parents.

Increased interest from Hollywood 

It helps that studios and other media entities are increasingly seeking young brands for product tie-ins 

Caroline Danehy is the co-founder and chief brand officer of Fair Harbor, which just released a new “White Lotus” swimwear collection. She told Modern Retail that Warner Brothers, HBO’s parent company, reached out to the brand via its website about two years ago.

“This was the first TV show [collaboration] we’ve done,” Danehy said. Like the Saint James team, the Fair Harbor staff watches the show religiously, which made working on the collection extra exciting. “We were thinking, ‘What’s our customer watching? What are they doing? How do we be a part of their life, too, in other ways?’” Danehy said. 

“Overall, the aesthetic is definitely something that lends itself to the ‘White Lotus’ franchise, and we’re thrilled to partner with them.” The new collection’s campaign was shot on location in Thailand at the Four Seasons used in the show.

With all these exciting opportunities, Gabe said marketers have to be careful by betting on the right pop culture moment — because it can be difficult to predict the next major blockbuster in the current theatrical climate.

As a smaller brand, going after these partnerships is a balancing act. As Gabe said, the reality is that “You’re not always going to get a ‘Barbie’ or ‘Wicked.’”

Julia Waldow contributed reporting.