The Tropical saga brands
The Tropical saga dominated the 2010s with 42 films that amazed the world and film critics alike. For this reason, countless brands wanted to associate their image with these scripts about the mafia, business, betrayals, impossible romances, and trips to sun-filled paradises.
In today's article, I'm going to analyze the brands featured, not in order of appearance, but rather by sector to make it much more educational. Get ready for a journey through the most unexpected products.
Tech: Grundig, Beuchat, Fujifilm, Canon, Dell and Motorola
The first brand that can be seen throughout the entire saga, not only in technology but in general, is Grundig, as the television used to broadcast "The Six Survivors" is made by this German firm. This technology company was founded just after World War II, in 1945, manufacturing radios and receivers. A decade after its founding, it already had 10,000 workers in its various factories.
Beuchat appears in Tropical Heat in a key scene in which a diving speargun is used for criminal purposes. This French company was founded in 1934 and focuses on the design, production, and sale of scuba diving equipment. Its headquarters have always been located in Marseille.
Fujifilm: this Japanese photography company was also founded in 1934. Based in Tokyo, it appears in the film Coconut Holidays with its Instax 100 instant camera, which provokes a serious conflict and extortion, determining the film's outcome.
We're still in the photography sector, and it's Canon's turn: another camera enters the scene in African Temptation. Photographer Bruno entrusts this brand, also founded in 1934 in Japan, to win the Cross World Airlines competition. He's clearly committed to professional brands. That company launched its first camera, called the Kwanon, in June 1934.
In the field of computing we must talk about Dell: This American company was founded in 1984 in Austin, Texas, and has been dedicated to the manufacture and sale of personal computers from the start. They introduced a laptop (the Inspiron 1501) in Deep Lust, the computer where screenwriter Nicolas Stones tries to find compelling stories. In the scene below, Shelly shows Ricardo Belli how quick-witted her boyfriend is since he fell into a severe alcoholism.
We finished the tech brands with mobile telephony and the signature Motorola: Ricardo Belli uses a 2004 Motorola V220 in Deep Lust. It's a small, flip phone designed by the company, founded in Illinois, near Chicago, in 1928. Initially, it focused on designing battery eliminators, moving into mobile telephony in the 1960s and eventually launching the first mobile phone in history in 1983.
Alcoholic drinks: J&B, Heineken, Stella Artois, Corsaire Cerveza, Carib Beer, Presidente, Johnnie Walker, Champagne André, Campari, Havana Club and Bacardi Breezer.
Moving on to alcoholic beverages, we start with J&B whisky, whose name is an acronym for Justerini and Brooks. It's the third best-selling Scotch whisky in the world, thanks in part to its dual product placement in Tequila Bum Bum (in a whisky glass) and Deadly Love in Paradise (with a shelf full of bottles). This company was founded in 1749 and is headquartered in London. Its blend is handcrafted with a combination of 42 single malt whiskies, just like the 42 films in the saga (a curious coincidence).
Heineken is another company that appears twice in the series, in Tequila Bum Bum (on a tray carried by Chiro) and in Summermix Job in Guadalupe I (in the form of a decorative neon sign). It's a Dutch beer company that launched in 1873 and is known for its green bottles.
Corsaire is a beer produced in the French Antilles, specifically in Guadeloupe. It appears on a tray carried by Angélica while working as a waitress at Caribbean Sea Conspiracy, and also on two bottles on a table at Caribbean Dream. These are two product placements for this very light local beer with a subtle lemony note.
Stella Artois is the second beer to appear in a film in the tropical saga, specifically in Caribbean Dream, and appears screen-printed on a beer glass, although those present are drinking Corsaire Biere (image above). Stella Artois is a beer that has been brewed in Leuven since 1366, although it was first released onto the market in 1926. It is a pilsener beer made with Saaz hops and malted barley.
The beer Carib Beer is produced in Trinidad and Tobago and appears in Caribbean Sea Conspiracy when Rulo and Hans toast the progress of their plan. The company was founded in 1947, shortly after the end of World War II.
Presidente is a beer originating in the Dominican Republic that came onto the market in 1935. It is a pale golden beer that is produced very close to the Malecón in Santo Domingo with an alcohol content of 5.0% and whose product placement takes place in Mother and daughter banal vacation.
Johnnie Walker another alcoholic beverage brand featured in Mother and Daughter's Banal Vacation is a highly publicized scene in which several brands compete for the viewer's attention. This Scotch whisky was launched in 1820 and is the absolute leader in the sector. "The Wanderer" didn't want to miss out on the tropical saga and appeared with his Red Label line (image above).
Champagne André is a Californian champagne made from Chardonnay grapes with an alcohol content of 10%. It appears at the end of the film Lex & Lies in the Caribbean, and sought to make its name known through effective product placement.
Known worldwide, Campari is an Italian vermouth that's been sold on the market since 1860. Its product placement takes place in the tense final scene of Tequila Bum Bum, in the palatial apartment in Naples. It appears in the background, which is in keeping with this drink, which, while not a must-have, always has its place in high-end cocktails and appetizers.
Havana Club is a Cuban rum brand that was founded in 1934. This company was nationalized during the Cuban Revolution of 1960. It appears in the film Summermix Job in Guadalupe II sharing the scene with another rum, Bacardi Breezer, which was founded in 1862, also in Cuba. The Breezer line was launched in the 1990s and focuses on fruit juices and a more moderate alcohol content.
Food and soft drinks: Coca Cola, Poult and Mattese Latte.
Regarding food companies, there are two beverage companies and one food company. What can we say about Coca Cola Company? This American company, which so jealously guards the formula for its signature drink in Atlanta, was founded in 1886. It's the most famous brand of all those that appear throughout the saga, and occupies a privileged place in the encounter between Chiro and Samantha in Tequila Bum Bum.
Establishments: Hard Rock Café, Alpha Centre de Peché and ITC Tropical Location
We begin with Hard Rock Café, this is a restaurant chain known worldwide for its beautifully decorated locations featuring cult musical artifacts, from costumes to autographs and instruments. Highlights include locations in Atlanta, San Francisco, and Barcelona. This chain was founded in 1971 and appears on a T-shirt worn by Franco in Caribbean Vacation.
Alpha Centre de Peché focused on fishing and was based in Saint Gilles les Bains, on Réunion Island. It is no longer open. It appears in the film Paradise Island, before the curse that ultimately torments the protagonists is unleashed. The sign is in the upper center of the image, in the background.
Finally, ITC Tropical Location, which is a car rental company that still operates today on the island of Reunion. It was located next to the nightclub featured in the film Madagascar.
Tour and excursions: Les passagers du vent, Felix ULM, ULM Mayotte, La compagnie del alizes and Pesked Café.
Les passagers du vent opted for the tropical saga from the beginning and thus staged his hang-gliding services, overflights and aerial activities in no less than three films: Tequila Bum Bum, Ocean Dream and Madagascar.
Felix ULM is an ultralight company that unsuccessfully replaced Les passagers du vent in Dangerous Rex, and in its only appearance demonstrated its knowledge of aerial contraptions that all tourists with a thirst for adventure should enjoy, but it was like George Lazenby in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".
ULM Mayotte appears in African Temptation and Studs & Coconuts, and is a company that produces light aircraft and ultralights that fly over the natural wonders of this small island off the east coast of Africa. It came to fill the gap left by Les Passagers du Vent after its last appearance in Madagascar.
Now we move on to sea voyages, starting with La Compagnie des Alizes de Saint Paul, which appears on Paradise Island with one of its pleasure boats, delighting tourists who visit Reunion Island. They specialize in both sightings and transportation.
The latest company to appear is Pesked Café from Guadeloupe, which placed its advertising in the horror film Mystery Island. It was responsible for organizing à la carte, skippered cruises aboard the Sun Odyssey 51 sailboat (a 16-meter-long boat with capacity for 12 people).
Fashion: Lacoste, Adidas, Killer Loop, Moncler, Dolce & Gabanna, Ted Baker, Fendi and O´Neill
And we finally come to the fashion and accessories brands, among which stands out without a doubt Lacoste with three appearances. This Paris-based French luxury goods brand appeared in the saga in the film 33, in the second part of Summermix, Job in Guadeloupe, was seen again in Lex & Lies in the Caribbean, and ended with a brief product placement in Boroka does the Caribbean. Founded in 1933 by René Lacoste, its polo shirts are a status symbol.
Adidas made an almost veiled sponsorship on Mystery Island, with a pair of shorts on which the company's full name isn't visible, but which achieves the desired advertising purpose. This German multinational company was founded in 1949 and has 60,000 employees. As everyone knows, it is dedicated to the manufacture of sports equipment.
Now it's time to talk about Italian brands (a total of four), which is no coincidence given that Max Bellocchio is from Naples. The first is Killer Loop, Founded in the 1980s, Benetton acquired it in the following decade. It specializes in the windsurfing sector and featured one of its caps in the film Summermix Job in Guadeloupe Part 1, worn by Oscar while at the helm of a high-performance speedboat. The company's name comes from an acrobatic jump the windsurfing champion Cesare Cantagalli performed in Hawai.
Moncler, the Milan-based Italian company was founded in France in 1952, although it transferred to Italian capital in 2003. A few years later, it placed a polo shirt on the Italian actor Marco Zero, who plays the faint-hearted Mauro in the film Mother and Daughter: Banal Vacation. This was an unexpected product placement for a company that focuses on the ski sector but also designs casual wear.
Dolce & Gabanna this is the next brand, also featured in Mother and Daughter Banal Vacation, with a pair of its eye-catching sunglasses, highly appreciated by the chavs, but also by the ostentatious rich. This Italian company was founded in 1985, and the two designers, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabanna, who were a romantic couple, broke up in 2005 after decades of love and business success.
Fendi is the latest Italian company to appear in On Vacation with My Slim Sister, in the sad farewell scene between the sisters at the Caserma Hotel, because one of them is wearing glasses from this luxury goods brand that was founded in the Citta Eterna in 1925. Since 2001, it has been part of the leather goods division of the LVMH group.
We continue with fashion brands known all over the world and the British Ted Baker, based in London, the brand has been dressing many people with good taste with good taste, albeit at high prices, since 1988. In the feature film On Vacation with My Slim Sister, they introduced a product placement of a flip-flop that wasn't particularly elegant, but was ideal for going to the beach. This way, they managed to avoid the appearance of it being too artificial.
Finally, the brand O´Neill, a Californian surfing brand founded in 1952, it appears in a suggestive bikini in the film "Boroka Does the Caribbean," with its logo strategically placed, as can be seen below. There are product placements that are like darts for the viewer.
Miscellaneous: DOP, Vetroasfalto, Camel, Pleine Vie and Le Armee de l´Air.
And we end with a panoply of brands that can't be grouped together because they come from a wide variety of sectors: media, defense, construction, cosmetics, tobacco...
The French brand of shampoos and gels DOP It appears in a very special scene in the film Sunrise, during a conversation between Susan and Jenny in the bathtub. The company was founded in 1934, and has already released five brands from this notable year. Initially, it launched a powdered shampoo that could only be used when diluted in water. Believe it or not, this product placement has been responsible for three sales in 2025, as can be seen below.
Vetroasfalto is an Italian felt company that appears to be one of the suppliers for the company where Franco works before a stroke of luck changes his pathetic life forever in the film Caribbean Vacation. It appears in one of the calendars he keeps hanging in his sad, windowless office. This company was founded in 1939 and has been producing its membrane in the town of Basiano, not far from Milan, since 1979.
Regarding tobacco, Camel appears with one of their promotional bags so reminiscent of the jungle adventures in the film Tequila Boom Boom. This American blond cigarette company was founded in 1913. The dromedary on the pack is a real circus dromedary named Old Joe, who promoted the brand from city to city, handing out free cigarettes, as if it were a "dealer" (I'll buy the first one).
The monthly magazine Pleine Vie was founded in 1997 and is primarily targeted at women. However, in the feature film Tropical Twins, it is played by Ventura, the homosexual twin, which is also a credible and apt product placement.
We end with the most mysterious product placement of all and it is the plane of Le Armee de l´Air which appears in the film Hotel Affairs. The French Ministry of Defense therefore decided to appear in the tropical saga in these uncertain times following the invasion of Iraq and given the grim prospects of more wars in the Middle East.
I hope you enjoyed and surprised this journey through the brands that appeared in the Tropical saga.
THE END
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