Media

The 007 effect: James Bond, the spy who loved brands

The world’s favorite special agent is back – and so are the brands behind his drinks, cars and watches

Guests walk the red carpet as they attend the world premiere of the new James Bond film ‘Spectre’ at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Monday. The link between brands and Bond is deep and long-standing. (Photograph: ANDY RAIN/EPA)
Tue Oct 27 2015 - 08:54

Bond films are some of the most heavily branded in movie history, with companies paying millions to get their products on screen alongside the world’s most famous spy. The latest instalment, Spectre, opened in Ireland on Monday.

With Bond-themed ad campaigns and pre-release hype in full-swing, Seesaw Media’s Daryl Collis explains that the link between brands and Bond is deep and long-standing, but not a relationship that the viewer will always accept without question.

Pierce Brosnan’s Bond swansong Die Another Day saw producers link up with 21 “brand partners.” By the time of Daniel Craig’s debut in Casino Royale that number had been pared back to seven.

Bond now promotes “brand partners who are more real, and more authentic to his (Craig’s)interpretation of James Bond,” says Collis.

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Here are some of the numbers behind what is set to be one of the biggest films of the year:

300 million

Estimated cost (USD) of Spectre production

Spectre cost over $300 million to make, according to leaked Sony emails from 2014. That makes it nearly twice as expensive as Skyfall - the previous Bond film in the long-running franchise, which cost between $150 million to $200 million. However, Sony Pictures need not be too worried about Spectre's budget if the box office revenue is anything like Skyfall's, which brought in $1.1 billion.

1.7 million

Estimated cost (USD) of Bond’s latest cars

Bond’s vehicles of choice this time around are the Aston Martin DB10 and the Jaguar C-X75 are. Only a small number of DB10s have been made and the car is not available to the public. If it was, estimates suggest it would set you back $500,000. The Jag would cost you another $1.2 million.

148

Duration of Spectre, in minutes

With a runtime of 148 minutes, Spectre is the longest Bond film of all time. The second longest was Casino Royale, coming in at 144 minutes. Skyfall was just shy of this at 143 minutes. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was 142 minutes with Licence to Kill and Die Another Day joint fifth. If for some reason you were to watch the five longest Bond films in one sitting, it would take you 719 minutes.

719

Cost of Bond’s rumored new weapon

Although it can’t be confirmed, it appears that Bond may have done away with his trusty Walther PKK in favour of Heckler & Koch’s 15-shot VP9, a similar gun produced by a rival firm. Promotional images show Bond brandishing the new weapon, which costs $719, making it more expensive than the $429 Walther PPK.

Bloomberg reporters Richard Weiss and Luca Casiraghi note that 007’s apparent switch of loyalties in Spectre comes as the German government, Heckler & Koch’s best customer, is dropping it as chief supplier of army rifles. Whether a potentially fleeting role in Spectre can make up for Heckler & Koch’s lost revenue and the blow to its reputation remains to be seen.

6,000+

Cost (in USD) of James Bond’s latest watch

James Bond has worn an Omega Seamaster for over 20 years and Spectre’s 007 is no exception to the tradition. The Spectre Seamaster 300 is the first time that a watch worn by Bond has also been officially released to the general public as a limited edition purchase. The black-dialed timepiece sports a rare “lollipop” second hand in addition to a black ceramic “bi-directional bezel ring,” which looks suitably dark and spy-like. If you opt for the NATO strap, you can have “007” engraved on the bracelet strap holder (not a particularly James Bond thing to do). The watch costs more than $6,000.

Bloomberg