Product Placement Chaos: And Just Like That…
God has heard us - HBO’s “And Just Like That” is DONE.
But we aren’t here to talk about that. We are here to talk products being thrown up and through the series!
Product placement is supposed to be the subtle flex of modern marketing—smoothly integrating brands into pop culture to drive awareness, boost sales, and build brand equity. But what happens when the placement becomes the problem? Enter HBO’s And Just Like That…, where some of the most recent brand cameos feel less like strategy and more like sabotage.
Let’s talk about what went wrong.
The Peloton Panic: A Case Study in PR Disaster
When Season 1 premiered, viewers watched in disbelief as Mr. Big—Carrie Bradshaw’s iconic love interest—climbed off a Peloton Bike+ and promptly died of a heart attack. The impact? Peloton’s stock dropped by $1.5 billion. What was meant to be sleek, aspirational product placement became a meme-worthy death trap.
To Peloton’s credit, they didn’t stay quiet. In a matter of days, Ryan Reynolds’ agency Maximum Effort produced a viral parody ad featuring Chris Noth (Mr. Big) alive and well, sipping wine and suggesting another ride. It helped repair the damage—but not before the brand took a serious hit.
Season 3 Is… Unhinged
Let’s fast-forward. In the current season of And Just Like That…, the product placements have become less aspirational and more baffling.
KFC at a fashion-forward dinner party? Sima, visiting Virginia, demands fried chicken and ends up settling for a bucket of KFC. The Reddit threads lit up:
“Target is getting dragged and KFC… girl, what?”
Shein gets a name drop despite ongoing controversies about labor ethics and environmental harm.
SimpliSafe appears without narrative purpose, as if someone just remembered they had a sponsorship quota to meet.
These aren’t just weird. They’re jarring. And when brands are dropped into stories without context—or worse, linked to cringe or conflict—they don’t benefit from the exposure. In fact, recent studies show that 34% of viewers report a lower opinion of brands poorly placed in TV shows or movies.
Let’s Not Forget Carrie’s Mac Meltdown
Even the original series had its drama. Carrie Bradshaw’s meltdown over her vintage MacBook still lives rent-free in the minds of long-time fans. Aidan tries to help, but Carrie wraps the dying computer in a pashmina and snaps at him all the way to the repair shop.
He offers to buy her a new laptop. She says no. Then he hands her the receipt and her apartment keys. A PR lesson wrapped in a breakup.
This scene, while more narratively driven, still did its job: emotionally-driven product placement can boost purchase intent by up to 22%, especially when tied to character development. But it only works when the energy is right.
What Brands Need to Remember
Here’s the hard truth: exposure is not always positive. In a show like And Just Like That…, where aesthetics, values, and legacy matter, getting it wrong can leave a mark.
If you’re a brand:
Read the script.
Understand the character arc.
Ask yourself: Is this aspirational? Or am I about to be the punchline?
Because let’s be honest—nobody wants their product to trend for the wrong reasons.
Final Thoughts
When product placement is done well, it can be brilliant. Think: Reese’s Pieces in E.T., Ray-Ban aviators in Top Gun, or even Carrie’s Manolos. But when it’s lazy, forced, or tone-deaf? It becomes a branding liability.
So here’s the question: Is your brand ready to be part of the story… or will it become the subplot nobody asked for?
I will miss the Sex and the City multiverse…I won’t lie. But these placements…they can go!
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