HP wants you to pretend to have the Sex and The City life

Two days ago, I received a mailer from HP about a Sex and the City contest they’re running. Essentially they want you to be Carrie and Co.

Upload and show where you eat, drink, shop, party, hang out, pose, and write an entry about why you’ve selected these places for “an insider guide to the most chic places in Singapore.” The contest is running across Asia Pacific and the most creative entries will stand a win a trip to NYC and a screening party. Fab prizes no doubt.

The entries can be seen on http://h30476.www3.hp.com/video and from what’s been uploaded so far, they’re kinda meh. I can’t speak for the other cities but at least three Singaporean entries mentioned New Asia/Equinox at Swissotel Stamford for a bird’s eye view of the city from one of Asia’s tallest hotel. Umm, imagination people.

Since when does hanging out with your girlfriends become a “Me and My City” experience that harks back to the whole Sex and the City lifestyle? Why does it have to exude a certain “coolness” or “glitzyness”? I get that it’s a pretty fun contest to shill for HP , but the association that a bunch of girlfriends having fun is being ‘Carried out ‘ to death makes me want to puke.

I used to love Sex and the City the series. I still watch it on DVDs and HBO. But it’s the movies I can’t stand with its blatant advertisement and brand tie-ups.  It’s a friggin advertorial. And now they’ve changed the charactersand their personalities to fit the companies pumping money into movie. As pointed out by many pop culture watchers, Carrie Bradshaw is a Mac girl. She does not get Windows.  It was tellingly obvious that she hated a Windows operating system/computer because in season 4 when her Mac went kaput and her ex boyfriend Aidan bought her a Windows computer, she flipped out. Plus it was a symbol that Aidan and her weren’t meant to be. This entire back story is now swept away cos HP decides to be a part of the movie.

Brands should really get cleverer about how they want to tie up with a movie. Sure economics dictate that without big money, great movies may not get made. Case in point: Up In The Air where hotel chain Hilton featured prominently and added to the movie budget. But  it was nicely incorporated into the movie in such a way that it makes sense plot-wise.

Brand people, go watch 30 “Can we have our money now?” Rock for some inspiration.

April 22, 2010. In and around Singapore, Movies.