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Bond, Smirnoff Reunite In New Film

"Vodka martini, please. Shaken, not stirred." To a certain generation, that is the most famous cocktail in the world. And there's no mistaking who placed the order. Bond, James Bond. Perhaps you know the fictional British super spy by his code name, 007. And his brand of vodka? Smirnoff. The relationship between Bond and the brand goes back to the spy's first movie, "Dr. No," in 1962, reports USA Today. The relationship cooled for a while, but now the two are reunited in the newest 007 flick, "Casino Royale," scheduled for a November release. Smirnoff will be on a smaller roster of promotional partners than has been the case for recent product-placement-heavy Bond films. This is the first one marketed and distributed by Sony Pictures, the new owner of MGM. Under MGM and Eon Marketing, which own the James Bond rights, the last Bond movie, "Die Another Day," had about 20 partners who anted up $100 million in marketing support. One was Brown-Forman's Finlandia vodka, which spirited away rights to be 007's vodka when Diageo-owned Smirnoff got sidetracked in a corporate reorganization. The marketer will try to use the film's November release to drive sales for the holidays. In addition to movie placement, it will have a TV ad with the spy breaking a bottle of Smirnoff out of a booby-trapped briefcase. It also will sponsor a sweepstakes with prizes of $10,000 for entering codes from Smirnoff bottles at a Web site.

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