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In the lead up to Skyfall's release in November of 2012, controversy emerged over the fact that the 23rd entry in James Bond franchise would make extensive use of product placement, more than any previous film. People in particular complained about Heineken's marketing campaign, which replaced Bond's traditional vodka martini with a Heineken beer. When the film finally released, however, it seemed that all the ruckus was for nothing.
A Heineken bottle does appear in the film, but its label is never seen. The film also features the iconic scene where Bond orders a vodka martini, shaken, not stirred. But most jarring of all, Skyfall prominently highlights a different alcoholic beverage, Macallan whisky, which is poured throughout the film by Bond's superior, M, and the antagonist, Silva. What's even more interesting is that Macallan paid nothing for the honor.
“They did contact us for permission to use the brand, however we weren’t
told about what scenes it would be used in. When the final edit of the SkyFall
came out our Macallan director was a little nervous about the drink
being associated with the scene where Daniel Craig takes a dram then
fires a gun—as obviously, being an alcoholic beverage, it is important
for us not to be associated with violence, crime, underage drinking,
etc.” Lucy
McQueen, the public affairs assistant for Macallan-owner Edrington
Group, told brandchannel.
As a result, Macallan had its exposure value increase $2,035,007 in the U.S. and
$7,117,757 worldwide.
I think it's interesting how directors choose certain products and brands over others when including them in films. Films that overuse direct product placements can come off as tacky, but when done seamlessly and effectively, the inclusion of a product can add value to not only the brand but the film itself. The fact that a product can see such an increase in exposure and profits, simply from appearing for a few seconds in a major feature film is crazy yet still believable. The global reach of the 007 audience was powerful enough to raise Macallan exposure value to over $7M, proving the strength of product placement in movies.
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