HP: The New Fashion Accessory?

By Kiley Kellermeyer, Account Executive

Several of my friends have been excitedly gossiping about Sex and the City 2, set to hit theatres May 27.  Not having watched much of the series or first movie, I have no connection to Carrie and her crew.

However, I have to admit I was intrigued to learn that Hewlett-Packard had finagled their way into City, kicking out Carrie’s very prominent Mac Book. Carrie’s Mac was featured in nearly every episode of the television series, or so I hear. And just think, when Miss Bradshaw flips open her laptop, moviegoers won’t see that shiny white apple on the cover.



Carrie will document her memoirs on an HP, and there are alleged stills that show Kim Cattrall using a desktop version of the HP TouchSmart.

HP apparently partnered with the movie franchise to increase its brand recognition with stylish women.

Well, I suppose it’s worth a shot, as I’m sure PC sales are slumping. They’ve got to do something, right? But sticking HP products in this particular movie is, to me, a bit like serving pizza rolls and Bud Light at a black-tie ball.

In three words: Doesn’t. Quite. Fit.

Everything in Sex and the City smacks of fur coats, cosmopolitans and Manolo Blahniks. Those ladies eat, sleep (and sleep with) and breathe high-class, high-end, and expensive. Would any of them choose an HP over a Mac when Apple has so cleverly cornered the digital market on style?

Rick's Weekly Wrap-up: Why Print Still Matters

It's not all doom and gloom for print media, although most would like to believe that. After reading the following article on MediaPost.com (alright, you caught me, I read it online, not in print, but let's ignore that for now, shall we?) I was reminded again of the rapid changes taking place with traditional print media. Take a read:

Enterprise: Print Struggles, Doomsday Forecasts by Erik Sass

The article reports on the declines that newspapers and magazines are experiencing in circulation and ad revenues.
 
The future, in general, does not look bright for either medium.

Now, with that being said, let's talk a closer look.

A key fact not addressed in the article is that the declines are primarily limited to major titles with large circulation that try to be all things to all people.  Most of these titles are seeing erosion from either their own internet sites or comparable sites that report on similar information, but do it in a timelier manner. Community newspapers that report on local events, schools and community happening are not experiencing the same downturn.  They serve a niche that the large metro dailies have long since abandoned.  Similarly, special interest magazines that serve highly targeted interests have also been able to avoid the downturn.  Both may have seen a downturn as the result of the economy, however they should be able to rebound with the recovery, unlike their larger counterparts.