Brands & Branding and Private Labels Case Study

James Bond and Product Placements: Marketers' Cine Connection with the Meta Brand

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Abstract:
The celluloid version of the first James Bond novel, 'Casino Royale' was released worldwide in November 2006. This was the 21st movie in the James Bond movie series and it starred Daniel Craig as the secret agent. Since the release of the first Bond movie in 1962, the Bond franchise has grossed US$3.7 billion in ticket sales worldwide. Some of the key reasons behind the on-screen popularity of James Bond as a character was the incredible masculinity portrayed by the actors and the prologues that they delivered which later became catchphrases in western popular culture. Another key aspect related to the Bond movies was the range of product placements associated with the Bond movies over the years. Reacting to the severe criticisms related to the number of product placements in 'Die Another Day', the producers were found to adopt a more appropriate product placement approach in 'Casino Royale' that many believed enhanced the image and relevance of the character, James Bond.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To understand and analyse the various aspects that enabled the James Bond movies to achieve a cult status.
• To analyse the quality and impact of product placements in the Bond movies over the years.
• To analyse the impact of the fine tuned approach to product placements in 'Casino Royale'.

Keywords :  007, Die Another Day, Casino Royale, Pierce Brosnan, Dr No, Meta brand, Bond girls, EON Productions, MGM (Metro-Goldwyn Mayer), Product placements, Aston Martin, Omega, Sony, Ford Motors, Heineken