transformation from the literary character to an entertainment brand, a global cultural phenomenon and communication leverage for related products. Brands references are constant in 007 stories and their presence is one of the landmarks of film productions since the 60s’ (Nitins, 2011). Therefore the research focus on product placement strategies application, exploring the potentialities of James Bond – 007 brand and its film franchise as communication and promotion platform for targeted products or brands, sharing commercial value but also embedded social and cultural meanings. To approach cinematic product placement we adopt a specific classification system to distinguish four categories, verbal/hand placement, implied endorsement, signage and clutter (Galician & Bordeau, 2004), to recognize the incidence dimension for each of them, determining on which elements of narrative structure those categories are applied. Qualitative methodology rooted in film analysis and applied to a sample of 14 films (1962-2012), allows to classify script, mise-em–scène and technical elements, to understand the origin, elements and strengths of James Bond – 007 brand, as well as parameters for product placement application. In 007 films we can distinguish three dimensions of product placement application: one directly linked to the main character, another applied to secondary characters (Bond Girls, Villains and Allies), and the last applied to the film narrative background. As a result James Bond phenomenon continues to evolve, adjusting the cultural meanings and attributes of film characters to select the brands partners and target their positioning. Concluding, the increasing demand for brands and products associated with the 007, the “Bond Effect”, explode thanks to its innate communication assets: a strong brand identity, an effective appealing testimonial, extraordinary narratives for promotional messages, and the correlation between phenomenon features and promotional needs. However, product placement also leads to a lack of authenticity of the main character, conducting to a loss of creative richness and independence due to the economic aspects of the 007 franchise.

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James Bond, brand, product placement, brand promotion.