James Bond reins in his licence to sell
22-Oct-2008 • Bond News
Share the Story
With all that selling, it's a wonder James Bond has any time left for what he does best; kill and shag.
But after years of Bond movies being used as vehicles to market watches, cars, clothes and phones, product placement in the latest movie is relatively restrained. Aston Martin, Smirnoff vodka, Sony and Virgin Atlantic may have paid millions but there is no guarantee their brand will be in the movie.
The makers of the Bond franchise have made a decision to rein in the number of products appearing in Quantum Of Solace, bucking a global trend that will see more brands than ever appear on the big screen.
Researcher the Nielsen Company reports that in the six months to the end of June 2008, the product placement market rose 11.7 per cent in the United States on the corresponding period in 2007.
Danjaq, the holding company responsible for the copyright and trademarks to James Bond, says we will see fewer products on screen after a decision was made for the previous film, Casino Royale. Keith Snelgrove, senior vice president of global business strategy, says a new artistic director on the film was not used to working "in that particular environment". "There was a decision to take a more strategic approach with our partners and to develop a program that was smaller, but stronger and higher in quality.
"That's not a global trend, far from it. We are quite unique in our approach," says Snelgrove.
The new Bond film is out next month, and Danjaq is keeping tight-lipped about which brands make it on screen, though Snelgrove says Virgin Atlantic "made the cut' - which is news to Virgin. "The agreement that we have is that we don't guarantee placement. They [partners] are all aware of that," says Snelgrove.
Smirnoff, which has the longest history with Bond, going back to 1962's Dr No, was unable to say in which bar scene Bond requests his trademark vodka martini, shaken not stirred and christened Vesper, in honour of his late lover in Casino, Vesper Lynd, nor even if the trademark will make an appearance. That lack of surety has not stopped some "partner companies" from exploiting the opportunity. Sony Ericsson is launching its C902 Cyber-shot mobile phone - which is used by Bond in the film - to coincide with the launch. Bus ads and in-store marketing will ensure consumers know about the connection. The most high-profile of Bond brands, Aston Martin, is putting on exclusive screenings around Australia.
The Bond effect is palpable: such was the reaction to the Aston Martin DBS when it appeared in Casino Royale that the company pushed what was then a concept car into production, says Marcel Fabris, Aston Martin's country manager. "Once again we've been voted the coolest brand in the world (according to CoolBrand) and undoubtedly the association with Bond helps." Aston Martin sells 150 cars a year in Australia.
The distributor of the film, Sony Pictures Entertainment, has cut local promotional deals with Visa and Flight Centre, but Sony's marketing director, Libby Rhys-Jones, says even those are bound by strict guidelines. "Anyone can burn out a product with crazy marketing," she says.
That has not stopped Coca-Cola, which is not even in the film, from cashing in. In Britain it rebranded Coke Zero as "Zero Zero 7". Avon, another partner, has signed up Bond girl Gemma Arterton to market its new fragrance, Bond Girl 007. Her choice of car in the film, a Ford Ka, also appears, the result of a deal Ford struck with Danjaq.
It appears everyone has learnt from the nadir of product placement - 2002's Die Another Day - which had 25 brands, leading it to be dubbed Buy Another Day.
Sony Ericsson has pushed harder for a better deal. The advertising around the Bond movie Casino, which was used to promote its phones, was so restrictive that it did not work as well as it could, says the company's managing director in Australia, Steve Wilson. "The danger is that sometimes you end up promoting the film rather than the product," he says.
This time the ads will show the product's features and benefits more clearly. Wilson hopes to double the 20 per cent rise in sales that came after Casino Royale. "You have four weeks [as a window] and then it's all over."
Discuss this news here...
