Author: Juan Carlos Alonso
Class: Writing as an Argument
Instructor: Ms. Waggoner
Date: October 4, 2012

Blog 4

Casino Royale

James Bond has always been known to play with cool toys and in his recent film Casino Royale, Film makers did not disappoint with the strategic product placement of several items that we will discuss. The James Bonds of the past were notorious for making different marketable items sexy, as the actors who promoted such labels typically did so in a fashionable manor. Take for example the Omega Watch that James Bond sports in the film. The character makes the watch appear to be cool and superior to Rolex in its portrayal in Casino Royale. 

In a similar fashion Sony made an enormous debut in the film, as it was one of the major contributors to the film. Whereas, whenever a electronic device is shown in the film the audience is reminded that Sony created that product. We see this in the film when all characters in the film use Sony Ericsson phones, every television set is made by Sony, as well as all computers in the film are made by Sony. 

But what type of James Bond movie would Casino Royale be if the Ashton Martin was left out. Well don’t worry, its not. And in the film this incredible car is shown flying through the streets in Monaco with all the cool gadgets and emergency medical care packed in that one can imagine. 

However, the big question people raise is “What is the cost to put these big name brands in your film?” To answer that question we will look to Martin Smith of the Orange County Register in his Article, Name Brand Props in movies; Consumer group wants labels to signify product placement. According to Smith, “I've offered close to $ 4 million in placements to studios in this town in the past 18 months, and I'm batting about one for three," Cohen said.  "Studios just don't think of it as a major profit center.  An average $ 28 million movie with $ 12 million marketing budget isn't going to be stopped by lack of a $ 25,000 placement” (Smith. 5). In the text above Smith states that studios now are less incentivized to add product placement in their films, however after watching Casino Royale, I starkly disagree with Mr. Smith. As it is evident through the images shown and the money spent to incorporate different labels within this film. 

To further illustrate my point that the relationships between the filmmakers of Casino Royale, and the Omega, Sony, and Ashton Martin, lets take at look at what Lunsford and Ruszkiewicz say in their book, Everything’s an Argument. According to Lunsford and Ruszkiewicz, “You may find that the best way to illustrate a casual relationship is to present it visually” (Lunsford. 354). As described in the text and demonstrated within the film the relationships between the filmmakers and corporations marketing their product is best illustrated visually, whereas Casino Royale did an incredible job subtly incorporating this relationship. 

Rating:

Sources:

Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2012. <http://www.forbes.com/2006/11/16/bond-movie-advertising-tech-media-cx_lr_1116bond.html>.

"The Worst Movie Product Placements Of All Time." WhatCulture! N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2012. <http://whatculture.com/film/the-worst-movie-product-placements-of-all-time.php>.