Is James Bond Selling Out Like Never Before?

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Looks like the vodka martinis are on hold for cinema’s favorite spy. James Bond will now be hawking Heineken in ads, as the makers of the 007 movies, Eon Productions, have extended their 15-year sponsorship deal with the beer brand for the release of Skyfall.It will be the first time in the deal that the actor playing Bond (in this case, Daniel Craig) has personally fronted the commercials. Elsewhere, the two brands will together be ramping up TV, print and social media campaigns, as well as (you’d expect) a fairly prominent bit of product placement in Skyfall. “The level of collaboration with Heineken is unprecedented,” Eon executives Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said in a statement. “We are excited by the global reach and the creativity that the Heineken team is able to deliver.” This roughly translates as “Thanks for the money, suckers.” The influx will be especially welcome given that budget constraints on Skyfall have already meant that proposed location shoots in India have been shot down.During the Bond franchise’s 50-year history, it's never shied away from branding opportunities. Since it's made more independently than its big Hollywood rivals, any extra cash is welcome, and the Bond movies give big brands prime opportunity to discreetly show off new products. Current Bond studio Sony certainly think so. The most recent Bond movies have been loaded with money shots of Sony's latest phones, DVD players and TV screens. Skyfall -- and a lot of Heineken marketing -- opens in North America in November. Continue Reading

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