Product placement, or embedded marketing,
is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a
context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of
television shows, or news programs. Traditionally the product placement is not
disclosed at the time that the good or service is featured.
Have you ever
watched a television show or a movie and felt like you were watching a really
long commercial? If so, then you've been the victim of bad product placement.
There's certainly a line that can be crossed when presenting brand-name items
as props within the context of a movie, television show, or music video. Clever
marketing folks try never to cross that line. They want their products to be
visible within a scene, but not the focus. The product needs to fit, almost
seamlessly (almost being the key word here) into the shot and context of the
scene. When done correctly, product placement can add a sense of realism to a
movie or television show that something like a can simply marked
"soda" cannot.
Brand placement
in Bond movies isn’t new—you could even say it’s as integral to Bond as his
cherished vodka martinis. And some of the placements have been incidental.
After all, Fleming himself dropped a few brand names including Cartier in the
books, for which he presumably didn’t receive a penny.
Aston Martin and
Omega watches are the brands most associated with James Bond.
Since his first
film appearance in “Dr. No” Bond has been linked to wrist watches. He has worn
Rolex, Breitling, Hamilton, Seiko and Omega during his film career.
Over the years,
Sony and MGM have partnered on Bond films with—and this list isn’t close to
exhaustive— Mattel, 7UP, Samsonite, Kodak, Calvin Klein, Norelco, Sony
Erricsson, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Ford, Jaguar, Revlon, Rolex, and
Omega.
The sky is not falling on product
placement, as evidenced by the £28 million (about $45 million) invested in
Skyfall, the new James Bond film. It is the sixth Bond film where Heineken will
connect its name.
A handful of
characteristics define Bond as Bond and connect each new incarnation to Ian
Fleming’s legacy, primarily that he’s as promiscuous with women as he is
faithful to vodka martinis—shaken not stirred. Which is why some 007 fans felt
betrayed by the news of a major partnership between the makers of Skyfall, the
23rd Bond movie, and Dutch brewer Heineken.
The response on
Twitter is almost all outrage and cynicism and calls of “sacrilege.” Never mind
that Bond has drunk other booze in the past, and that he has on at least one
occasion had his martini stirred, not shaken. And never mind that, ever since
Sean Connery flew Pan Am and prominently displayed a Smirnoff label in Dr. No 50 years ago, the franchise
has slowly but steadily been invaded with brands. Bond’s been driving Aston Martins
since Goldfinger, with the occasional dalliance in a BMW. He crashed through a
British Airways billboard in Moonraker (1979) and through a Perrier truck in
Goldeneye (1995). And in 2002, for Die Another Day, he switched to Finlandia
Vodka.
It is the sixth time that Bond and Heineken
work together, but for the first time that the Bond-actor in the commercial.
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