A Little More Sex (and the City that is.)

Scooped!

I was going to write about the extensive product placement in the film version of Sex and the City, but one of my fellow students at Centennial College’ s Corporate Communications and Public Relations program beat me to it. (And the post is incredibly articulate and well-crafted so it’s likely better that she beat me to it.)

But she raised a point I want to expand on. In her blog, Sarah Roger notes that Vanity Fair has an article that lists all the products that are featured prominently in the movie. And it’s one heck of a long list. (And a really good post- go read her blog now and then come back. I’ll wait.)

My question is when did the Marcom for a film become part of its own PR? And how long will it be before we have films where the product placement is determined first and the script is written around it? Are we there already?

It’s EVERYWHERE So Why Not Here Too: Sex and the City

First, a confession: I put “sex” in the title of my blog in the hopes it might get a few more hits. (Sad but true- see, PR people can be honest and forthright.)

Second, a disclosure: I was living in NYC near the meatpacking district at the time Sex and the City fever was peaking. And even though I loved the show, it did get annoying to try to walk to my laundromat on Saturdays and find myself knee-deep in Carrie-wannabees stumbling around the neighbourhood in heels they could not handle and wading through the excessively long lines for the Magnolia Bakery.

Does anyone else feel like whomever did the PR/Marketing (Marcom is the term) for the film sequel to the series must have sold their soul to the devil? I ask because mention of the movie is absolutely EVERYWHERE – I’ve never seen quite so much hype.

Here’s just a small sampling:

Entertainment Weekly had a whole issue dedicated to it.

Facebook allowed users to gift a pair of fabulous SATC virtual Jimmy Choos to friends. (And, more disclosure, I did give a pair to the most Carrie Bradshaw-esque of my friends- the woman can write, has great style, is very witty but thankfully lacks her fictional counterpart’s utter self-absorption.)

Even industry-related publications have gotten into the act: The Public Relations Society of America has an article in its online publication about the effect the show had on women’s office attire.

However, there is indication that the media has reached its levels of hype-tolerance for SATC. There have been backlash articles running in the New York press, including this now-infamous TimeOut New York cover which has received quite a bit of press itself.

Why do you think this movie has captured the imagination (and covers) of North America? And how did their publicity machine manage this feat? I’d love to know what you all think.

[One caveat- please don't bash Sarah Jessica Parker- firstly, the press has been ridiculously mean about her appearance already (I'm looking at you Maxim and no, I won't dignify you with a link.) Secondly, everyone who lives in NYC has a celebrity-sighting story and my best one involved her. Once when I walked into the hotel Plaza Athenee carrying my baby daughter, we literally ran into Sarah Jessica Parker who was there doing a photo shoot. She was very sweet, surprisingly tiny and she cooed adoringly and genuinely over my daughter. So be nice. She was.]