How Megan Thee Stallion Brought Hot Girl Summer to Love Island USA

A new bombshell has entered the villa, and it’s none other than Megan Thee Stallion, whose recent appearance on Love Island USA doubled as a branding opportunity.

In a June 19 episode, the rapper and former ADWEEK cover star served as a guest judge for a twerk-off while contestants wore her exclusive Hot Girl Summer swimwear line, which was available through a Shop the Villa commerce activation. In addition, the “Savage” singer-songwriter’s tequila brand, Chicas Divertidas, was also incorporated into the episode.

And it was all music to NBCU’s ears.

Lindsay Vogelman, vp of enterprise marketing & partnerships, NBCUniversal, said her team was originally looking for a swimwear brand that felt organic to the show, and Megan Thee Stallion felt like a natural fit given her “hot girl summer” slogan.

“It was truly serendipitous,” Vogelman told ADWEEK. “When we think about these partnerships, it could go in the form of just a simple product integration. But when we started talking to the team, it quickly evolved into an incredible co-promotional partnership that had so many different elements attached to it, and a lot of that came from Meg being a genuine fan of the show.”

To make a purchase, viewers were able to scan an in-show QR code to shop their favorite swimsuits and looks from the episode, which was powered by NBCUniversal’s ShoppableTV technology. According to NBCU, there was a 25% increase in scan rate for this specific episode compared to the average Love Island episode that features shoppable elements.

The success signals momentum for NBCU as it continues its push for shoppable.

In the past year, NBCU has been integrating more of its shoppable TV technology for ads in its live and scripted programming. For instance, the company recently expanded its partnership with LG Electronics to put shoppable ads on its free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels. Meanwhile, NBCU and Instacart also teamed up last summer to bring virtual concessions to the Olympics.

Ahead of the season premiere of Love Island, the company also announced a slate of other brand partners, which included CeraVe, Cuervo, Instacart, and Maybelline New York, which was integrated into several episodes last season with the brand being showcased in a kissing booth, while contestants also used products from the company.

“The shoppable content and the ways we can expand this type of opportunity is something we’ve very much been focused on,” Vogelman said. “It’s all about taking what you’re seeing on screen and being able to hold a part of that experience.”

While Megan Thee Stallion’s appearance certainly boosted viewership and social conversations for the show, it was already seeing plenty of success since it premiered at the beginning of the month.

According to Nielsen data shared by NBCUniversal, Love Island USA ranked as the No. 2 streaming original series during the week of June 9. Luminate research also showed that the season brought in 1.2 billion minutes viewed for the nine episodes that were available to watch from June 6 to June 12.

In addition, NBCU noted that over 40% of viewers for this season are new to the Love Island USA series. Meanwhile, the company said Love Island USA is one of their youngest-skewing series, with over 30% of usage occurring on mobile devices, while 72% say the show makes them feel connected to a community and fandom.

And that just adds to the Hot Girl Summer sales.

“When we look back at what this turned into, it’s truly a cultural moment that combined the energy of Love Island and the ‘Hot Girl Summer’ spirit in a way that brought all this value for our fans,” Vogelman said.