Himafagy

Each new James Bond film, in addition to being an event in and of itself, is a massive advertisement for every single branded item seen on the silver screen. Whether it's 007's Smirnoff vodka, Walther pistol, or Aston Martin automobile, each item's appearance on screen is indeed a Very Big Deal for the company behind it. And so, Ford is crowing about its involvement inCasino Royale in an article on its website (read it after the jump). The film represents the first time the general populace will see the new European-market Ford Mondeo and Aston Martin's DBS (shown), which will spawn a production model as well.

Ford's desire to promote its involvement is to be expected. After all, firms pay big bucks to get placed in high-profile films. A full read of the article, however, reveals a bit of gloating as FoMoCo has some fun with the fact that it, and not Toyota, is the supplier of James Bond's car. While we thank God that we weren't subjected to the sight of James Bond driving a Camry (a clear sign of the apocalypse), the reality is that Toyota offered up something significantly more upmarket. Apparently, they approached the filmmakers with enough dough to fill the bed of a Tundra and proposed having their upcoming supercar (presumably the production version of theLF-A concept) be Bond's ride of choice.

There's more after the jump, so read on!

[Source: Ford via Inside Line]



Of the offer, Ford Brand Entertainment's Al Uzielli said, "We're all in a business where we have to be extremely careful in where we take our brands. It just wouldn't seem right to have the consummate British agent drive a Japanese car. Regardless of what the money was, in the long run, it's 'where does that take your brand?'"
Really? I recall the consummate British agent driving German carsfrom 1995 to 1999 and no one losing sleep over it. Sure, there was a brief outcry prior toGoldenEye's arrival in 1995, but after that it was a non-issue. People other than the real die-hards generally have more pressing worries than what make of car is being driven by a fictional character in a movie.

Don't get me wrong. I'm thrilled that the filmmakers have had Bond back behind the wheel of an Aston the last few years. There's a decades-long history between James Bond and Aston Martin on film, and aside from all that, the DBS isridiculously cool. But calling out Toyota by name overthis is just silly and ill-advised. Aston Martin is, after all,for sale, and this likely marks the last appearance it'll make in a James Bond film as a member of Ford's product portfolio. Next time, someone else will bask in the perceived glory. Maybe that's why Ford's being as vocal about this as it is -- it knows there won't be a next time.

Still, it doesn't seem very wise, because while Ford does the "raise the roof" gesture over this product placement as if they just scored a touchdown, Toyota waves back from its perch labeled "#2 Worldwide" -- a spot it it took away from Ford in the first place -- while it plots its next move and points at the scoreboard. Whose position would

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