Emily in Paris showed a deft hand recently when handling the Peloton brand, unlike the scandal that erupted after And Just Like That linked the brand to a major character death. Both shows have been major hits for creator Darren Star with Emily in Paris as Netflix’s top comedy from 2020 and the reboot of Sex and the City, And Just Like That, already captivating viewers. However, the shows took very different approaches to their recent featuring of the Peloton brand. Whereas the Peloton brand name is featured specifically and prominently in And Just Like That, Emily in Paris avoided a major scandal by choosing a tongue-in-cheek nod to the high-end stationary bike brand.
Emily in Paris follows Emily Cooper, a beautiful, young marketing executive, as she moves from Chicago to Paris for a year in the French office. Emily in Paris season 1 saw Emily (Lily Collins) arrive in Paris where her perkiness and positivity clash hilariously with her French co-workers until her unwavering optimism wins them over. By Emily in Paris season 2, Emily’s co-workers have adjusted to Emily’s constant exuberance, and her excitement over a new potential client—Pelotech—is disregarded and declined (albeit lovingly) by Emily’s elitist, French boss, Sylvie (played by Call My Agent!’s Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu). Sylvie appears disgusted by the stationary bike and its very American, ultra-fitness sales representative and refuses to represent the brand, claiming Pelotech is not luxury enough for their firm.
As a continuation of Sex and the City, And Just Like That picks up the story of Carrie Bradshaw and crew, now in their 50s, for another round of glamourous life in New York City. When the series begins, Sex and the City cast favorites Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big are back and happily married until his untimely death in And Just Like That episode 1 following a workout on a Peloton bike. While neither And Just Like That or Emily in Paris show the bike in a flattering light, Emily in Paris achieves its goal while avoiding the backlash by a simple tweak to the brand name, changing Peloton to Pelotech.
Following And Just Like That episode 1, Peloton condemned the show’s use of its brand, claiming they were unaware of how the series was going to use their product. Furthermore, Peloton stocks plummeted following Big’s death in And Just Like That, and rumors have begun to swirl about Peloton suing the series’ network HBO. According to entertainment lawyer Nancy C. Prager (via The New York Times), in order for a brand like Peloton to be used legally in a series like it was in And Just Like That, the use of the product cannot disparage the brand. Prager goes on to say that HBO “tarnished Peloton’s goodwill to consumers,” as evidenced by their dramatically falling stocks.
Meanwhile, Emily in Paris cleverly sidesteps the entire problem. There is no doubt which American “luxury” (or non-luxury by Sylvie’s standards, though she hilariously steals the bike for herself later in the episode) stationary bike brand is being alluded to in season 2, but Emily in Paris leaves enough room for the joke to be made, without tarnishing the brand like And Just Like That. Furthermore, the comparison proves that, with a little creativity, a brand name need not be directly referenced (risking the brand’s name being tarnished) in order for viewers to understand the reference, and it is far better for everyone involved if it is not.
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