For
a few glorious weeks, every time a James Bond film is released, for those fans
of a certain age, it becomes Christmas 1965 when a plethora of Bond-related tie-ins
once again flood the market.In 1965 it
was a Thunderball merchandise tsunami with toys, clothing, diving
equipment and men’s jewelry…In 2021
it’s No Time to Die’s turn.In
keeping with the film’s many nods to 007’s cinematic past, Bond is back
drinking his beverage of choice from Dr. No – Smirnoff Vodka, an historic
brand dating back to 1863 and one of the world’s most popular vodkas.
As
a serious Bond collector, I’ve seen many a corporate 007 gift – from model
vehicles (BMW and Caterpillar) and leather satchels (MGM) to all manner of
007-branded clothing… but nothing beats
the stunning Martini-maker briefcase Smirnoff created.
The
custom case (embossed with the Smirnoff and NTTD logos) contains everything a
thirsty secret-agent (or Bond fan) could want – a crystal martini glass,
measuring jigger, olive spears, a lemon shaver and, of course, a bottle of
Smirnoff, all elegantly encased in red velvet.If there is a more lavish piece of Bond promotion, I’d love to see
it.Kudos to Smirnoff’s marketing agency
for this brilliant promotional tool.
Always
a fashion icon, whatever Bond wears is now carefully studied and snapped up by
trendy consumers and fans.Recently the
fabled American bootmaker Danner joined in by supplying pairs of their Tanicus
all-weather boots to the production – in Bond black, of course.
(Photo: MGM/Danjaq)
On
September 16th, they put the boot on sale via their website.The result was a digital stampede.So many orders came in that their website froze
and they had to add additional servers.I know because I was caught up in the footwear frenzy.Did I need an exotic new pair of boots in
sunny Southern California?No. Do I
do any mountaineering or exploring at all?Um… no, but the boots looked rugged, were priced right ($180 a pair) and
came in a custom No Time to Die
box as cool as the boots themselves.I
managed to grab a pair – which also included a unique 007 leather keychain, but
it was as nail-biting as buying Rolling Stones seats during an online ticket
drop.Danner’s entire stock sold out in
under 20 minutes.“This was a
record-breaking launch for us,†said a member of their online team.For more on Danner’s line of footwear go
to:www.Danner.com
Are
there more Bond tie-in products out there?Of course.Anyone know somebody
at Heineken?