When James Bond roars off in the upcoming License to Kill, he'll be driving a Lincoln Continental Mark VII instead of his famous Aston Martin. It's not that No. 007 has altered his automotive allegiance. It's that Ford Motor Co., the maker of the Continental, offered free cars for the film in exchange for putting Bond behind the wheel of its top-of-the-line luxury model. So it was farewell, Aston Martin. In the lucrative world of product placement, show business and big business are seeing eye to eye about getting brand names into the movies. Says director John Badham, who incorporated Alaska Airlines, Apple computers, Bounty paper towels and Ore-Ida frozen french fries into his film Short Circuit: "If we can help each other, and it doesn't intrude on the movie, it's fine."
Putting products on the big screen is hardly a new pitch. Joan Crawford knocked back Jack Daniel's in Mildred Pierce, and Rosalind Russell dabbed on Charles of the Ritz perfume in Auntie Mame (1958). But ever since lovable E.T. followed a line of Reese's Pieces to a record box-office gross in 1982 -- and & sales of the candy leaped 66% in three months -- film pitches have become a bustling field. Ray-Ban sent 500 pairs of sunglasses to director Oliver Stone for his new feature, Born on the 4th of July. A scene in Cocoon: The Return was reshot so that Quaker Instant Oatmeal could be displayed more prominently. Companies are now lined up around the block trying to get their backhoes, champagne, reclining chairs and running shoes into the movies.
A dozen or so agencies have sprung up that charge hundreds of eager companies upwards of $50,000 to find scenes for their products in suitable upcoming movies. The agencies pore over early scripts secured from set decorators and prop masters in an effort to find the right fit. Some guarantee placement in six or so films -- theoretically, more exposure than a comparably priced ad could offer. Big-screen placements, say agents, provide more bang for the buck than television. "A movie goes from theaters to TV to the video marketplace," says Cliff McMullen of UPP Entertainment Marketing, "which makes it far more profitable than a one-shot on Dynasty."
Cost-conscious studios have created licensing and merchandising departments to arrange the deals, since free cars and other products save them millions each year in production costs. "Movie budgets have become unreasonably high," says director Badham, "so we're always looking to maximize the money available. From a producer's or a director's view, product placement is a great way to reduce the budget and keep the studio quiet."
Some arrangements involve both on-screen and postproduction promotional efforts. Cans of Diet Coke, for instance, discreetly appeared in Walt Disney's Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Both Disney and Coke benefited again when the company conducted a TV ad campaign featuring the sultry Jessica Rabbit crooning for the diet drink.