"Casino Royale" a safe bet for marketers
Bond is back. And so are many of the brands that have been featured in previous James Bond features, some going as far back as the first film, 1962's "Dr. No."
Along with their prominent placement in "Casino Royale," six brands -- Heineken, Ford, Smirnoff Vodka, Sony Electronics, Sony Ericsson and Omega watches -- have spent more than $100 million on media and other promotional support for the movie, which opened Friday with British actor Daniel Craig in his maiden voyage as agent 007.
Bond is one of the rare film franchises that began integrating brands long before the practice became a hot trend in Hollywood.
"Because we're a family business and because we treat everyone like family, we don't like to switch partners," said Keith Snelgrove, senior vp global business strategy of EON Prods., which is owned by the family of late Bond producer Cubby Broccoli and has produced all 21 Bond films. "We don't like one-time product placement deals. Our partnerships are very successful and our partners always come back."
One new brand integration partner is Virgin Atlantic Airways, whose colorful chairman Richard Branson makes a cameo appearance in the film.
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