Marketing Through Eugene's Eyes

Just like Keith Foong, when examples of product placement in movies were discussed in class, I was thinking about all the product placement strategies used in the last two James Bond movies.

The one which stuck in my mind the most was the scene when James Bond (Daniel Craig) first meets Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) on the train. Vesper asked Bond whether his watch was a Rolex to which he replied that it was in fact an Omega. Vesper then replied “beautiful”. Another one from that movie was the placement of Virgin Atlantic. As Bond was madly hanging onto a fuel truck speeding along the tarmac of the runway, a huge Virgin Atlantic B747 takes-off in the background. Smirnoff Vodka as well as Heineken also featured in Casino Royale (skip to the 4th minute of the video). In total, Ford, Heinekenn, Sony, Smirnoff Vodka, Sony Ericsson and Omega invested more than $100 million in product placement promotional strategies.

Similarly, the above brands have also featured in Quantum of Solace. Specifically, Bond’s sidekick, Camille Montes played by Olga Kurylenko, is seen driving the Ford Ka, which was poised to become the next hit in the small car market. All over the boot and bonnet of the car were Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric logos to promote the environmentally-friendly hydrogen-powered car. The audience was practically whitewashed by the blatantly obvious placement of the Ford Ka. We also see Bond sipping a Coca Cola as well as driving an Aston Martin in the beginning car chase scene, which portrayed Bond as both a debonair yet emitting a very powerful and slightly threatening aura.

It is not surprising that so many brands would like to secure a place for their product in a James Bond film. Through Bond’s wide audience, many people would be exposed to the brands placed in the film. This increased exposure would either remind the audience of the product, or generate awareness and hopefully an interest and desire which would ultimately cause them to consume the product. This progression through the AIDA model could be facilitated by the coolness, ‘Britishness’, shaken-not-stirred, energy, style, mystery and for girls, the sex appeal which Bond conveys. These factors seem to outweigh the high expenses required to gain a place in a film such as those of the James Bond series.