A host of Madison Avenue stalwarts are checking in to “The White Lotus.”
American Express, Diageo, Google, BMW of North America and Abercrombie & Fitch have struck sponsorship agreements for the third season of the popular series, and the arrangement spotlights how quickly the old rules of TV-ad sales are fading into the past.
In a not-too-distant era, HBO programs were shown free from commercials of any sort, and indeed, most of the programs that run on the premium cable service are not formatted for advertising interruptions. On Max, the streaming service of parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, however, subscribers may not expect their programming to stream ad-free. A tier of the service supported by commercials, after all, costs less than one that is not.
Such dynamics allow Warner to create ad deals that pair commercials with programs they never would have been able to just a few short years ago. “By leveraging our premium portfolio of brands and platforms, we’ve created immersive, integrated campaigns that connect audiences to our advertisers in meaningful and innovative ways,” said said Ryan Gould, head of digital ad sales for Warner Bros. Discovery, in a statement.
American Express will back behind-the-scenes vignettes that will be made available via social channels, on Max, and via the “Extras” tab of a show page devoted to “The White Lotus.” The videos will feature interviews with the cast, show clips and other footage that provides looks into specific characters’ stories. The company’s partnership also includes call-outs that surface ahead of a stream of a “White Lotus” episode, interactive commercials and, in some cases, “ad blocks” that surround the show.
The financial-services company sees “so much natural synergy with the show, especially as we know our card members are exceptionally passionate about travel, said Jill Hamilton, Vice President of Global Media at American Express, in a statement. The company’s sponsorship of “White Lotus” will create travel guides from Amex Travel that are inspired by the series, she added.
Diageo, meanwhile, will unveil a new campaign that has ties to “Lotus” and promotes both Tanqueray gin and Ketel One vodka and that will appear across Warner Bros. Discovery properties. On the Food Network program “The Kitchen,” chef Jeff Mauro will create a Thai-inspired cocktail, a nod to the setting of the series’ third season.
Google has created an eight part mini-series that features Evan Ross Katz, a host of “The White Lotus Official Podcast,” and Nichola Duvernay, a member of the third-season cast. The program, created with Warner Bros. Discovery’s Courageous in-house studio, will tell viewers about Google Pixel with Gemini and how it can be used for adventures in travel. The content will surface across Max, including on the day the third-season finale is made available.
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