As Skyfall, the 23rd Bond film of the series, prepares to hit our cinema screens marketers will be breathing a sigh of relief as critics have already dubbed it “the best Bond to ever.”
The much publicised and highly lucrative deal Heineken struck, which saw Bond swap his traditional Martini for an ice cold bottle of The Netherland’s finest, will now be viewed as £28 million well spent with critics such as The Independent's Geoffrey McNab saying: "If not a full blown triumph, this is certainly one of the best Bonds in recent memory."
Fashion and Lifestyle magazine GQ also gave collective thumbs up to the subtle yet effective product placement, with its critic stating: “The product placement is not as prominent as you'd think. There are a number of Sony Vaios, a glance at an Omega timepiece, a conspicuous bottle of MacCallan Whisky, the occasional Coke Zero and two beers that cost Heineken around £14m each.
“For all the talk however, there's more gratuitous shilling in your average R&B video and it never gets in the way of the story.”
Indeed, the men’s style guide said: “This may be the most fallible, human and downright believable Bond we've seen on screen. He also looks terrific - he'll sell a lot of Tom Ford pinstripe suits and knitted ties.”
Sony marketers will also be taking a break from ongoing Apple battles to watch Bond do their work for them, as two hours of "the most beautiful in Bond's 50-year career," see Bond give the Sony Xperia Smartphone his seal of approval.
In addition, brands such as Omega took out print advertising to coincide with the films launch, and thanks to reviews hailing Daniel Craig in Skyfall as the most stylish and sexy Bond yet they can expect to sell a few more timepieces to men looking to seduce their own Bond girl or defeat the forces of evil.