Some people may not think self-storage is sexy, but others may beg to differ ... especially if one happens to take in the movie thriller of the summer, Sex and the City (SATC).

The New Line Cinema flick blew the doors of box offices nationwide when it opened several weeks ago, reeling in $55.7 million in just a few short days and laying claim to be the best R-rated opening ever for a comedy, according to an MSNBC.com report.  What’s that got to do with self-storage? Let me explain ...

In addition to the scintillating name of the movie and long-lived HBO series, the SATC brand has a stake in anything fashionable, from lattes to laptops, Vivienne Westwood wedding couture to quilted Chanel clutch purses. Or maybe it’s the other way around and anything fashionable wants to have its own piece of the SATC pie, I’m not sure.

Either way, here’s the self-storage hitch for today’s blog: Keeping company with NYC fashionistas is Manhattan Mini Storage, a self-storage company that operates 17 facilities throughout the big city and gets plugged via product placement in several scenes. If you’ve seen the movie, or even one of its many trailers, hopefully you got a glimpse of those now-famous Manhattan Mini Storage boxes scattered here and there on the set.

Will this footage on the big screen bring big paybacks to Manhattan Mini Storage? Only time will tell, but according to an article in the U.K. Daily Mail, “Product placement in movies is vital.” How so? Explains Stephen Cheliotis, chairman of the Superbrands Councils, "If you're watching that film, chances are you aspire to be one of those characters and have their lifestyle.”

The idea of promoting products in movies is not new, but SATC has certainly taken it to new levels, making it a product-placement goldmine, according to an editorial in FastCompany.com. Will it influence other self-storage operators to jump on the bandwagon? Most probably don’t have opportunity for such brushes with fame, but one should never overlook a great marketing opportunity.

The spotlight on Manhattan Mini Storage’s products is well deserved, says Bud Villarreal who, as director of marketing at Schwarz Supply Source, works with the storage operator. “They can only be described as avant garde, cutting edge, blow your socks off stuff.”

And that’s the kind of panache that deserves a slice of the SATC pie, for sure. My hope is that the marketing team at Manhattan Mini Storage is savoring every moment.