When you think of James Bond, you probably think of product placement. You might not realize it, but this is an iron-clad fact: the world’s most beloved spy is associated with a product. You might think of the Walther PPK, a compact German pistol whose distinct profile is evoked in the ‘007’ logo. You might think of Omega, or Rolex. Aston Martin, of course. Bond is a consumerist. He what he uses.
If you’re of a modern disposition, you could be forgiven for thinking that all of this was about money. When I think of product placement in Bond, I think of the absolute shameless nadir of Die Another Day. A dishevelled, bearded Bond strolls into a hotel half naked, having escaped years of interrogation. Of course they know him; he gets his regular suite. Smash cut to an ice-chilled bottle of Bollinger, an expensive Phillishave shaver (“Bond’s shaver of choice”), and several Brioni shirts. The shot is egregious; almost distasteful. Money surely did change hands. But also it’s right.
A Novel Concept
“I take a ridiculous pleasure in what I eat and drink. It comes partly from being a bachelor, but mostly from a habit of taking a lot of trouble over details.”
– James Bond, Casino Royale (1953), Chapter 7
This is Ian Fleming’s Bond. When Fleming sat down to write the adventures of the MI6 agent, it’s doubtless the character inherited some of his master’s predilections. Fleming was a man who . When in the first novel Bond espouses a love for the finer things in life, it is the voice of Fleming shining through. There was no money changing hands here: this was a man who loved products and finery, putting that down into prose because he wanted to.