James Bond: a marketing success

Today, many brands want to appear on James Bond’s movies because it is a way to promote a product. What is the reason? What are the advantages for brands and for producers? Which brands can appear? 
 

 James Bond’s movies have been seen by around 3 billion of people around the world and the benefits  are around 3.3 billion of dollars after 20 years of activity, and every two years, a new film is released on screen. Each movie is also a real success and even if the series is becoming old, James Bond is still a young character.

                                                                              

After 20 years of activity, it is official, James Bond is a real success. At the beginning, the story comes from the books of Ian Fleming. The concept is simple and original: each new film has to be better than the old one and less better than the future one.  At the end of each film, you can the same sentence : “James Bond will return…” which means that there will be an other story.

• What are James Bond’s Secrets?

First of all, James Bond began with a real potential with a real soul. Since the beginning, the saga has been acted like a brand and we can see that the atmosphere around the different stories, about the characters is really special and we can see that only with James Bond. Finally, we can say that all the films are quite all the same, with their differences.

But, some things are always true:

1) James Bond is alive at the end

2) There is a fight between James Bond and the bad guy

3) James Bond meet a James Bond girl.

With James Bond, spectators want to be surprised but the surprise is in the story and not at the end!!!

•  The James Bond Brand:

Yes, James Bond is a real brand. It is important for a brand to be seen and to be recognized: it is the case of James Bond.

James Bond= the suit, the vodka-martini, the car (often Aston Martin)… This brand is famous!!!

First of all, the name is striking and the way to say it is in everybody’s minds: it is simple, direct, virile and smart. Moreover, James Bond is almost the inventor of modern action movies. So, films are unique and nobodies can do the same project!!

As a brand, James Bond has a contract with his clients (in this case, the spectators). James Bond has to introduce surprises in the film but has to stay alive, has to fight with the chief of the bad team.Moreover, the character is quite complex. You can have two effects with him: you love him or you hate him. James Bond is a character than men want to imitate and women are fascinated by him and his mission is simple: he has to save the world.

So, James Bond is a brand really successfull which is still competitive. It success is based on nostalgia  and the fact that it has invented a new cinematographic kind.

• The marketing today:

 Marketing is everywhere on the film. The original band should be a success and sing by a personnality: Madonna, Tina Turner… Furthermore, many brands appear in movies. Now, James Bond permits to other brands to promote theirs products and brands permits to the movies to find money to produce it.

But, some brands are luckier than others and have not the same chance. We can say that there are thee groups:

- in the first one, we can find the “sponsors” such as BMW, Aston Martin, Dunhill… These brands don’t need to pay cash to the producer. They just have to promote the movie. For example, in France, BMW has spent 370 000 euros for the promotion campaign Bond. 

- in the second group, we find the “the promotion partners” and the list is important. In France, there is Club Med, Galeries Lafayette… In this group, brands have to do the promotion of James Bond but before, they have to pay a part cash. 

- finally, in the last group, brands have paid a licence to exploit and to launch Bond products. For example, Bic has launch James Bond lighters. 

As we can see, James Bond is successfull brand but we can imagine that the spectator’s waitings will change in the future and James Bond will find another source of inspiration.