Strategic Shilling

For those following, you've gathered by now I have little use for celebrity endorsement or product shilling UNLESS there's an iron clad ROI argument in its favor.

In HP's case, I believe there is.

I was a huge fan of Sex & The City. Arguably one of the decade's best programs. It influenced our culture in too many ways to mention. But that's not why I like this new spot.


Not a single SITC episode passed where Carrie didn't sit down to write on her Mac. Over the years, as new versions of the Mac were introduced, Carrie's equipment was updated as well. Given the show centered around Carrie's writings, the computer was not just an integration opportunity; it was a critical part of the show.

Frankly I'm not sure whether Apple won the bid, and was thus awarded the integration OR if the show's producers just figured Carrie's character ought to have a Mac because it matched her personality. Either way, anyone who watched knows that Carrie used a Mac.

So what?

Quite a big SO WHAT, actually. Carrie and the SITC women were a huge part of a cultural movement. Every woman wanted to be like them, even if just a little or just for a day. Every guy wanted to find women as playful, fun, carefree and liberated as these ladies.

It's good to be the hero product the lead character relies upon in a case like this.

So, how smart is HP to feature Carrie Bradshaw in its latest commercial, talking about all the hundreds of ways the new HP laptop can help her in her day to day life? WITH the SITC theme music playing in the background. And, if you don't believe me, then how come they can shoot the spot without showing SJP's face yet still deliver the message loud and clear?

Is she shilling? You bet. But there's a strategy here and it's not just use a celebrity so people will look up, awe struck by her good looks and stay fixated on the TV until we have a moment to plug the product.

Fundamentally, the strategy here is to debunk the Mac myth by taking a well-known Mac user (as so many of us have become) and addressing all the things we believe can only be accomplished on Macs and convince people they can also be done on a PC, in this case an HP PC.

We all know Carrie Bradshaw WAS a Mac gal. Her Mac was her oxygen. The fact that she's willing to make the switch and acknowledges all the things the HP can do that her Mac did or did not do, well that's powerful.

This is ON STRATEGY (and a good start - but it's gonna take more to convert Mac users).