And just like that, having your brand mentioned on the “Sex and the City” spinoff “And Just Like That” is a now risky business — and not the opposite, as was in the past when the mention of Manolo Blahniks, Hermes Birkin bags and anything Dior had women rushing to Sak’s and Neiman Marcus to channel their favorite character.
So says the producers of the new show, now in the second season, who are calling the “dicey” issue of trying to score high-end clothing and accessories for filming the “Peloton effect,” according to Entertainment Weekly.
In the first season’s pilot, Mr. Big died after a ride on his Peloton, creating a headache for the popular exercise bike’s marketing department. And now companies want to know how their brand will be used in the show, and whether product placement could tarnish their name.
“This season, every time we wanted to use a product name, people were like, ‘And how are they gonna use it?’” showrunner Michael Patrick King told Entertainment Weekly. “We want (Sarah Jessica Parker) to wear Gucci. ‘How is she gonna wear it? Nothing bad’s gonna happen to our product, is it?’”
As some recall, Peloton had to defend its brand publicly after Mr. Big’s fatal ride, using its in-house cardiologist to peg other factors of his lifestyle that may have caused his heart attack: cigars, steaks and cocktails.
