If You Like Piña Coladas: Coffee Mate Collaborates with The White Lotus

This critical incident details a collaboration between Nestlé’s Coffee Mate, a non-dairy coffee creamer, and The White Lotus, a popular television series. The White Lotus was a fictional series that depicted dysfunctional, often wealthy, tourists vacationing at luxury resorts. To celebrate Season 3 of The White Lotus, which was set at a resort in Thailand, Coffee Mate collaborated with the show to launch two limited-edition flavors, including Piña Colada. Coffee Mate was unaware that poisoned piña coladas would be used in an attempted murder in the show. Coffee Mate was able to react quickly to the negative depiction of piña coladas in the show by using a social media “war room,” and turning a potentially harmful situation for the brand into a positive one. This critical incident examines collaborations between brands and entertainment properties and considers a brand’s reaction when the entertainment property’s story may not align with the brand’s optimal depiction.