post Tuesday November 6, 2012
“My name is Bond, James Bond”, is probably one of the most famous lines in the motion picture industry. James Bond movies, based on the series of short stories written by Ian Flemming, have gained considerable popularity since they first debuted in 1962. As the action-packed movies started hitting the screens around the world, they built a certain image, one of class, sensuality, extravagance and sophistication. This was an image that many men, and even women, wanted to be associated with and due to its serial nature; it was easy to create a loyal audience and eventually developed into its own brand.
This provided a natural partnership opportunity for other luxury companies trying to reach the same audience. However, the partnerships do not come without a hefty price tag. It is reported that in the ‘Quantum of Solace’ movie about a third of their $250 million budget came solely from sponsorships.
Traditionally, the investment model used by motion picture companies, like MGM, the producer of the Bond series, is through outside investors or their own retained earnings. Now the money is raised mainly off sponsorships.
After many failed attempts to capitalize off their movies inventory holding a vast amount of intellectual property, they finally filed for chapter 11 in 2010 and was approved by the group of creditors. After its privatization, they are looking to go public again with the new James Bond movie.
The movie was released on October 23rdbut the James Bond commercials from sponsored companies have been showing for over a month. The main reason why they were able to raise enough funds to film the movie was due to the large intellectual property that the James Bond movie series has been able to accumulate over the years.
Source: Bloomberg Law reports, Financial Times, Moviefone
Image source: Free Digital Photos
