It’s an off-brand.
Often, TV shows and movies have brand-tiers to miss points.
For example, “retirement” on hit AppletV+ is basically about his job being hell. The official podcast of the show There are lots of ads for work-related platforms.
The iconic red cape of “The Handmaid’s Tale” is used in the story to suppress women. Christian Siriano works with Hulu to “recover” his appearanceusing catwalk outfits (as part of the Fall/Winter 2025 collection) seems messed up enough to say “Yikes” to fans of the show.
“I think when a brand is wrong, you can understand the desire to associate this with something that has this follow,” says Executive Creative Director, Johannes Leonardsaid in the post.
She added:
When was another infamous misfire Covergirl has performed the “Hunger Games” makeup collection.
In the context of the story, the people wearing makeup were Capitol citizens. The children watched them fight for death with joy. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) also reluctantly put on makeup as he was forced to fight fellow teenagers after being paraded by a oppressive government.
So, at the time, I made a makeup collection as a ty-in. He was accused of being deaf and hryvous and tone deaf.
In such a branding misfire, Kessler explained, “What they’re doing is borrowing fairness, but not building it.”
Because “The Hunger Games” had a certain underlying theme, she said the brand ties should ask “how can we build it, rather than responding to it in a shallow way, as it can be important for consumers?”
Magda Tomaszewski, Gus Brand Managementposted that when brands tie it to television shows, they need to show up with intention and meaning, but most importantly, a deep understanding of the audience.
She said, “When a brand is affiliated with TV shows and any kind of entertainment IP, it doesn’t just align with the story. I think we’re thinking of a strong creative strategy that will ensure that the audience recognizes the way they connect emotionally with that story and then adds to that connection rather than distract them from it.”
Without taking into consideration the viewer’s perspective, she said, “Even a well-meaning partnership can make you feel sick from the key.”
When the brand’s tie-in goes crazy, she says, “maybe they haven’t really delved into some of the nuances and sounds of the TV show or audience.”
But not all seemingly strange branded tie-ins are non-flammable.
for example, Four Seasons announces global brand partnership with HBO In the case of “The White Lotus,” hit shows often use the resort as their filming location.
The show depicts an exotic holiday, but because the character’s travel always ends with death.
“I think it actually works for them,” Tomaszewski said.
“If anything, I think you’ll get that [the resort] She continued.
Despite the murders in the show’s plot, she said, “The partnership feels very organic and makes a lot of sense.”
Kessler added that despite the murderous element of the plot, “I’m still leaving the ‘White Lotus’ and thinking, ‘Wow, that resort is so beautiful!”
“If anything, if I’m in the Four Seasons, it would be interesting for them to tie murder mystery together as a stunt in one of the hotels. Even if I’m working on that brand, I think it’s an interesting hotel tie-in.”
There have also been cases where brands get mad at how they are portrayed in the show.
For example, Duke University issued a statement warning “The White Lotus” that Timothy (Jason Isaacs) had a scene with a T-shirt wearing a logo while holding a gun on his head.
“I get the first response, but when I zoom out, I feel the association is actually more positive than negative, especially when I want to be seen as a place to nurture successful, wealthy alumni,” Tomazewski said.
“By speaking out, they unintentionally shining the spotlight on something that is likely to fly under the radar.”
And in “Sex and the City” spinoff, And Just That,” Pereton wasn’t very happy after the show hinted at the brand being loosely involved in Mr. Big (Chris Nos)’s death.
However, there was a tie-in for other brands like Coffee Mate (“White Lotus” Pina Colada Creamer, but it was quickly adjusted after nearly using that drink in the murder-suicide plot where the show’s season 3 finale was cancelled.
The brand admitted it in a playful statement, as he didn’t know about the plotline: “Well, this is annoying.”
Tomaszewski says it is “a great example of a brand that is leaning towards the moment with a wink, showing that it understands the cultural context they are playing and stays true to the brand.”
She said, “At the end of the day, it’s a scripted show created to entertain. And for the brand, it’s an invitation to explore creative and thoughtful ways to step into that world and expand it.”
Kessler cited the “Barbie” film as an example of a film that did “a remarkable job” in the brand partnership. It was in Margot Robbie’s movie The stunning arrangement of Tie-In brandsFashion brands such as Pink Berry Frozen Yogurt, Pac Sun, Nyx Makeup, and Funboy Pool Float.
“We see ads every day as humans, and now we have a very high bursch-t meter about it. Consumers know exactly what’s an advertisement,” she explained.
“So, if you’re consuming premium content like the shows you’ve mentioned, they know that it’s beyond when it’s or the ad world. I encourage brands and creatives to come up with ways to get rid of the seams of the brand and the creative kind.”
