Vaseline merges sun-soaked drama with skincare in 'The White Lotus' campaign

Petroleum jelly Vaseline has collaborated with HBO hit show The White Lotus in its new campaign. The campaign video features parts of the show's season three trailer such as the characters' arrival to the in-show resort in Koh Samui, Thailand, partying and screaming. It also features a big ship which disappears into a bright light. 

The bright light transitions to two women on a yacht, enjoying the sun while a voice can be heard saying, "Keep the drama on screen, not on your skin".  The video then unveils the brand's serum lotion - Vaseline Gluta Hya SPF50 serum burst lotion. 

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In a statement on LinkedIn, Louis Piereck, senior global brand director of Vaseline at Unilever and head of comms excellence for Vaseline, said that the partnership with The White Lotus is the "biggest ever." 

"With season 3 set in Thailand, the home of Vaseline Gluta Hya, this collaboration is even more exciting. Together, Vaseline and The White Lotus will blend premium skincare with pop culture to inspire people to wear sunscreen every day," said Piereck. 

"Vaseline’s Gluta Hya SPF50 serum burst lotion is taking centre stage. It’s a blockbuster innovation which hydrates, brightens, and protects the skin, making it perfect for every adventure, no matter how intense the sun – or the drama," he added. 

The campaign was created in collaboration with Ogilvy Singapore, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE understands.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out for more information. 

Season three of The White Lotus has been long anticipated by fans of the series. The social satire is set at an exclusive Thai resort and follows the exploits of various guests and employees over the span of a week. The eight-episode season from Mike Wike debuted on 16 February and stars Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, Sarah Catherine Hook, Jason Isaacs and K-pop artist Lalisa Manobal amongst others. 

The first season, which premiered July 2021, was set in Hawaii and received 20 Emmy nominations across 13 categories and ten wins, the most wins of any program that year including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. The second season, which premiered in December 2022, was set in Sicily and garnered 23 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, and five wins.

Meanwhile, this isn't Vaseline's first time tapping into pop-culture. Last year, the brand partnered popular Thai-based gamers to delete their in-game cosmetic changes to characters or items called 'skins' to raise awareness of the critical scarcity of skin donations.

The campaign, titled, "Skins for Skin", also aimed to respond to how Thailand is grappling with the highest burn-related mortality rate in Southeast Asia, according to a statement from the company.

Done in collaboration with Ogilvy Singapore, "Skins for Skin" had gamers such as Mokuchi and Thames Malerose use only their basic skins to mirror the scarcity faced by burn victims which were noticed by fans during live streams of their playthroughs to spark conversations about the issue.

The campaign also featured a short film that began with an action-packed chase between a video game character and a fire-breathing dragon. As the character crashes through a wall to make her escape, text fills the screen.

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