Sex and the City: Product Placements and Seth Godin
ByThere is a lot of buzz going on about the new Sex and The City movie. In the tech industry the buzz is surrounding what gadgets will be featured. It has been long known that Carrie Bradshaw was always shown featuring a Mac. However, there appears to be a new deal in town.
“Carrie may still have her trusty Mac on hand for the Sex and the City sequel, but the rest of the ladies will be strictly PC. HP just announced their partnership with Warner Bros. as well as their supporting role in the latest film this morning, which means the ladies of Sex will be wired with TouchSmart PCs, netbooks, and the TouchSmart tm2.”
So my question is….does this really matter?
I think that the buzz around this product replacement switch proves that television product placements may be going extinct. Don’t get me wrong a small business or start-up getting featured on a television show can be HUGE. It can make or break a company. However, am I more likely to buy an HP because I saw one on Sex and The City? hmmmm.
We notice product placements.
The buzz surrounding this movie isn’t about raving about the computer they will be using. It seems to be much more about the business decision. WHY are they using this new computer? Apple dropped its product placement and is getting major press because of it. Am I less likely to buy Apple products because they dropped this placement? No. They are genius. They saved money AND got press. That my friend is im-press-ive.
Get it?
Im-PRESS-ive.
Anyways, I don’t see how this product placement is helping either company. Seeing a computer on a movie doesn’t make me want to buy a new computer. It doesn’t make me want to switch brands. It doesn’t make me anything. However, if they are trying the remind them we exist and maybe they will think of us approach. That may be a benefit.
However, I suggest that HP take a look at this speech from Seth Godin. They may realize that this is going out. And it is going out fast.
What do you think?
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Personally I think you are underestimating the power of suggestion on the general public. Those of us who are plugged into social media, tech-savvy, and especially those of us who follow marketing are not as likely to buy something because it is placed in a movie. But that is still a very small percentage of folks that are self-aware, educated, and I would argue more intelligent that MOST of the ladies flocking to watch this movie. Heck, even I know that I am pretty influenced by advertising of all kinds. Especially when it comes to a movie that is ALL about style and not about tech features, I think this is a huge win for HP. They will win at least one battle in the style war that Apple has been WAY ahead in for so long. The only people consciously paying attention to the fact that Apple is no longer paying for placement are people who make their living in marketing or tech. SATC would have zero impact on their computer buying decision anyway. But that is not who this movie speaks to.
This is a really great point. People who are talking about the product placement online are probably not the same people who flock to the movie. (Though I do love me some Sex and The City)
I guess one my of my main points is that many companies still have this belief that the more people you show a product to the more people that will buy that. And often times that does work. However, with large purchases (computers, cars, etc) there is so much involved in that purchase that I am not sure that product placements are worth the investment. I mean when I bought a new computer it was based on what I could afford and what I had heard about a specific brand. If my friend owned a dell and hated it I probably would fall away from Dell. If a family member owned a Mac and hated it I might shy away from that. It seems peer opinions and creating relationships with consumers is worth so much more than product placements.
That being said I think it is important to point out that HP is showcasing a rather new product with their touch screen computer. Which, could very well introduce a large number of consumers to a product that they may have never seen.
(I own an HP and a Mac btw)
There may be other subtler forces at work here:
Why is the Mac logo upside-down?
Hmmm.
PS, note the dull, heavy-looking Mac and the shiny attractive hp.
Hmmm.
I didn’t even pay attention to that.
The picture with the Mac is from a past season (so very old). While the HP is in the new movie.
However, even in the movie SJP uses a regular Mac Book that attracts nearly no attention while Samantha has a Massive HP in front of her.
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