Think of James Bond and alcohol and one drink immediately springs to mind: Martini. Shaken, not stirred.
But Heineken is aiming to change all that by splashing the cash on a massive Bond-linked promotional blitz that will include production placement, giveaways and endless ads on every possible outlet.
That avalanche of ads will even include TV spot specially shot on the set of Casino Royale (a first for a corporate tie-in) starring Vespa Lynd herself, Eva Green. Stephen Gaghan – who usually tackles films such as Syriana – was hired to direct the piece.
Yet while JB does down a beer or two in the original novel, don’t bet on seeing Daniel Craig necking pints on screen. The deal focuses more on getting the Heineken name into every possible scene.
"Film is so universal. It tends to be positioned as premium, up-market and aspirational entertainment," Heineken’s Christopher Carroll said in a statement loaded with ad-speak. "It is exactly what the Heineken brand is around the world and ties in very nicely. We're looking at this long-term and really want to be involved with Bond in the future.”
So in future, expect 007’s main catchphrase to shift from “Bond, James Bond” to “Eesh… I love, yer me besht mate, you is…. Wanna fight? Come on! I’ll take you all on, yer bashtids!”